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2026-04-12 13:02:21“Don’t start with that ‘Nate and I both’ thing,” he says. “I don’t even think it’s correct. Just say ‘Nate and I think.’”
I blink.
Then answer anyway.
“It is correct. We’re both thinking about it together, that’s why I said it.”
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The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 196
I said nothing. But I felt it God help me, I felt it and I didn't know whether to hold onto it or burn it out of myself before it took root any deeper."I was Dave's son. That meant more was required of me. More of everything.""Your dad""Dave." The word came out sharp. He was never my father. Not in any way that word was supposed to mean."…What did Dave want from you?"The air in the shop shifted.I didn't have a clean answer. I wasn't sure I wanted to find one. My chest was already drawing tight, breath coming slower, the old weight settling in the way it always did when that part of my life surfaced.
The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 195
I was shattered anyway."Heaven," I managed, after a long moment of ceiling-staring. "That was actual heaven. Did you was it okay for you too?""Yes." A pause. "Taking you like that. Having you that way. I liked it more than I expected.""You cannot just say things like that casually. I'm a fragile person, Jace."A sound in his chest. Not quite a laugh but moving in that direction.He drew me in then, one arm pulling me flat against him, a hand pressing my head to his chest so my face was buried there and I couldn't watch him be vulnerable. The room settled around us, quiet and warm.Then, after a long while:"Tomorrow.""Tomorrow what?" I murmured into his shirt."The chair. I'll show you how to build it."Something unlocked in my chest, slow and golden and certain.I closed my eyes and pressed closer and didn't say a single word, because some things are too right to interrupt with language.Jace pov The wood shavings curled to the floor in thin ribbons, and Tim's voice broke the qu
The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 194
Tim povSomething was wrong the moment my eyes opened.Jace. His whole body had turned to stone overnight, every muscle locked, his jaw set, his breathing controlled in that way people breathe when they are trying not to feel something. And I knew, without asking, that I was the reason."Sorry," I murmured, already pulling away.His arm didn't move. He held me there firmly, stubbornly yet nothing about him softened. It was the strangest thing, being held by someone who looked like holding you was costing him everything. Like his heart had made a decision his body hadn't agreed to yet.He offered no words. He almost never did. I used to think silence was emptiness, but Jace had taught me silence could be full of things full of trying, full of care, full of a man doing the best he knew how. That was all I needed from him.Eventually the morning pulled us forward. Bathroom. Teeth. Hot water running over both of us in the shower. Clean clothes. The ordinary rituals of two people sharin
The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 193
Words would have to come eventually, but neither of us rushed them.Tim grabbed his phone and let music fill the kitchen while he tidied up. I had no idea whose voice was pouring through the speakers, but it clearly meant something to him. He swayed and sang along, waving a spatula like a conductor, completely lost in the melody."Taylor is everything," he announced proudly, doing a little spin that sent heat rushing straight through me.You're everything too. The thought settled in my chest before I could chase it away. This time, I let it stay.Once the kitchen was clean, he curled up with a book. I opened my laptop and found myself doing something I never imagined I would searching for streaming platforms so he wouldn't get bored. I had spent years building a life away from the noise of the world, and here I was, less than a week later, trying to make my cabin comfortable for someone else.I eventually picked up a book of my own, settled into my chair, and tried to focus. But my e
The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 192
Jace povThe pencil didn't stop moving until my hand ached.I hadn't touched my sketchbook in weeks not since Tim arrived. Something about having him close made me want to guard this part of myself, tuck it away where it couldn't be seen or questioned. Art has always been a private thing. A secret thing. Dave had called it a waste doodling, he'd said, the word dripping with contempt, like creativity was something to be ashamed of. His son couldn't afford to be soft. His son had to be harder, sharper, better than everyone else in the compound, or the shame would land on Dave's doorstep and that was something Dave never forgave.So I worked instead. Prayed harder. It took more pain than the others without making a sound, beca
The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 191
"I'll stay out front," I said before he could work up the words. "Living room, kitchen, my room. Like we agreed. I won't go anywhere else."He pushed his hair back from his face, those loose strands that were always falling forward but they dropped right back down the second he moved his hand. Then he gave me this small dip of his chin, somewhere between a nod and a thank you, and walked out.The door clicked shut.And the house became a completely different place without him in it.I stood in the middle of it for a moment, not quite sure what to do with my hands or my feet or any of the restless energy moving through me. It was strange Jace barely spoke, barely took up space, and yet somehow every room felt hollowed out now that he was gone.I went for the box.I already knew everything inside it by heart, but I needed something to do with my hands, and the familiar weight of it was a comfort. My mother's letters came first folded careful, written in her handwriting, like she'd kn
The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 90
He’s trying to hide the grin.Which shouldn’t be hot.It really shouldn’t.And yet somehow it’s unbearably hot.By the time I finally figure out how to swallow my coffee, the heat from it travels straight down my throat… down my chest&hel
Last Updated : 2026-04-05The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 70
Nathanās eyelids start drooping before I even notice the time. One second heās blinking slowly, the next heās practically asleep on his feet. Carter and I have already opened another bottle of wine downstairs, so I push myself up and say quickly, āDonāt disappear on me yet. Iāll be right back.āI s
Last Updated : 2026-03-31The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 68
Cole Williams POVNathan is off today. His sleep was a mess last night, and it shows. All morning, he moved like a cloud of gloom, dragging his feet, barely speaking. By midday, he’d snapped at me twice over nothing, small bursts of an
Last Updated : 2026-03-30The Way He Looked at MeĀ Ā Ā 56
I like him, I realize.Heās kind, relaxed, someone who moves through life without hurting people or pretending to be someone else.āIs this your job? Pottery?ā I ask.āWell,ā he says, crossing his legs and turning slightly toward me, ākind of a long story, but yeah, I do pottery. I love it. But I a
Last Updated : 2026-03-28
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