Mag-log in★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ CALEB’S POV ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ After the awkward introductions, we all end up in the living room. Levi sits on the edge of the couch like he’s ready to bolt at any second. I stay standing near the doorway, arms crossed, hoping the wallpaper will suck me in. “So,” Dad says, interrupting the quiet“how do you two know each other?” Levi glances at me before answering. “I tutored Caleb for a while when he was struggling with his classes. We became friends after that, and he ended up staying at my place for the summer.” Dad’s eyebrows lift slightly. “Oh. I didn’t know Caleb needed a tutor. You never told me.” I shift uncomfortably. “I’m pretty sure I did.” “No, you didn’t,” Dad replies, tone flat and certain. I wish Levi hadn’t mentioned the summer stay. The words hang in the air like smoke, and I can already feel Tim’s eyes on me. Sure enough, when I glance over, Tim is giving me that knowing, smug little look — the one that says he knows me better
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★CALEB’S POV★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★If I thought Sunday was going to be bad, I clearly wasn’t ready for Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Which is today.It’s bizarre trying to fit myself back into the skin of the Caleb who always hated himself in Shiloh’s Creek. I totally and completely hate my life here since I got back on Saturday. Maybe it’s because I cut my hair and I know Levi’s going to hate it. I’d like to blame my mother’s coldness, but I’m used to that. Or maybe it’s because Ellie told me she’s been trying for another baby, and I can’t shake the guilt that it’s somehow my fault — the same way Mom once accused me of making Ellie lose her baby after Tim and I argued at her wedding. Or maybe it’s the way Ellie keeps avoiding my eyes. Or how Tim had the nerve to hug me on Sunday after service and tell me I looked handsome during brunch, the words landing like dirt caked on my skin. I feel like my skin is slowly melting off my bones and I’m just here desperat
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★LEVI’s POV★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★“I’ve met someone,” I blurt and it’s like the whole coffee shop goes silent. Holding their breath.No one answers, but I can feel the shift immediately — Marcus’s shoulders tense, Riley’s jaw tightens, Jade’s spoon stops stirring her coffee.I swallow and say it again, quieter this time. “I’ve met someone.”“What?” Jade asks, voice flat.“Yeah.” I nod, forcing the words out. “His name is Caleb. It’s… new. But it’s good.”“Okay,” she says slowly. Then, after a beat: “That was fast.”“It’s been two years,” I reply, trying to keep my tone even.“Of course. We’re aware.” Jade’s eyes narrow slightly. “He was our friend too.”“That’s no—” I cut myself off. There’s no point explaining. They’re intentionally making this difficult.Marcus leans back in the booth. “In those two years, you completely ghosted us. We were worried about you. Scared for you. And this is what you’ve been doing? We thought you were mourning.”“I was mour
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★CALEB’S POV★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★I don’t know how my legs move, but I walk downstairs and slip outside, heading toward the stables without any real plan. The Friesian is there in his paddock, watching me with the same wary eyes he gives Levi. A thought flashes across my mind: this must have been Danny’s horse. The one that still refuses to let Levi close. Even the animal is holding onto something from that time.I sit on the fence for a while, just watching him. Then I keep walking until I reach the open field. I lie down in the grass, staring up at the vast sky.My mind won’t stop replaying the room. I had snooped further, opening drawers, lifting stacks of old papers. There were more photos, deliberately hidden at the back of one drawer. In some of them Danny is wearing a dress, soft makeup bringing out the sharp angles of his face, lipstick a bold pop of color. He looks genuinely happy, radiant, even, smiling at the camera like he’s finally allowed to take
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★CALEB’S POV★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★Levi’s touch is impossibly gentle as he kneels behind me on the bed, applying the cool ointment to my sore hole. Every stroke of his fingers makes me wince, but the sting is nothing compared to the gentleness with which he’s handling me now.“I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispers for the umpteenth time, voice thick with regret. “I got too rough. I never want to hurt you like that.”I shift slightly, breathing through the discomfort. “It’s okay. I asked for it. I wanted it rough, remember?”He doesn’t look convinced. He finishes spreading the ointment, then wipes his hands and climbs back onto the bed, pulling me carefully into his arms. His chest is warm against my back, one hand resting lightly on my hip.We stay like that for a long time, the room quiet except for our breathing. I try to let the comfort sink in, but my mind keeps spiraling and racing.Eventually exhaustion wins. Levi’s breathing evens out behind me, and I drift off
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★CALEB’S POV★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★Turns out the Friesian isn’t just skittish — he also hates Levi. I’ve been watching them all morning, and I can feel the bad energy between them as clearly as Levi’s growing frustration. The carrots he meant to feed the horse are still clutched in his hand, and the determined look he had earlier has faded into discomfort.The sun warms my skin as I stretch out on the grass, watching the horses move across the big turnout field. Levi stands near the tall black Friesian, speaking in a low, soothing voice. He reaches out slowly, trying to groom the horse’s neck or scratch behind his ears, but the big animal pins his ears back and steps away every time.“Come on, boy,” Levi murmurs, calm as ever. “It’s just me.”The Friesian snorts and tosses his head, refusing to let Levi get close. No grooming, no scratches, nothing. Levi tries again, patient as always, but the horse stays distrustful, muscles tense.Meanwhile Freya was an absolut
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★TONY★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★Luke looks just as bad as I do. Or worse. He’s standing in the doorway when I get home from the store. He looks like he’s been there for a while now. He looks so tired, it’s a miracle he’s standing on his feet. It makes my chest ache. I’ve been livin
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★CALEB★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★I’m holding my breath, waiting for Levi’s response. I hope I didn’t scare him. I hadn’t meant to unload, but then the intense pain on my nose combined painkillers got me feeling a little overwhelmed and a little out of balance. He’d only asked me h
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ CALEB ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ So far, I can say I did good on my fist exam. I’m even feeling hopeful. I see Vanya and Tony across the quad, they’re deep in conversation. I’m spending some time with them today maybe all I need is to touch grass and get out of my head. When
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ TONY ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Something’s wrong with Luke and he won’t tell me. But I can feel it. Tyler’s death shifted something. I understand it’s hard when you lose a friend, but this feels deeper than grief, more like fear. He’s staying up late, he’s avoiding my eyes, t







