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Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm standing in front of 23 grad students when I see him for the first time.
00:04Row 5, far left.
00:07Dark eyes that don't blink.
00:09He's older than the rest, maybe 30, maybe more.
00:12Wearing a black Henley that fits like it was cut for him specifically.
00:16Arms crossed.
00:18Posture so still it makes everyone else look like they're twitching.
00:22I lose my train of thought mid-sentence.
00:25Professor Hayes?
00:27Someone asks.
00:28I blink.
00:29Recover.
00:30Keep talking about epistemology like my pulse isn't hammering against my ribs.
00:34But I feel him watching.
00:37The whole hour.
00:38Never looking down at his notes.
00:40Never pulling out his phone.
00:42Just watching.
00:45When class ends, he's the last to leave.
00:48Doesn't say a word.
00:49Just walks past me close enough that I smell cedar and something darker.
00:54Something expensive.
00:56The door clicks shut behind him and I realize I've been holding my breath.
01:00That was three weeks ago.
01:02Now he's in every class.
01:03Always the same seat.
01:05Always the same seat.
01:05Always watching.
01:07And I'm starting to unravel.
01:09I tell myself it's nothing.
01:11He's just a student.
01:13Intense.
01:13Sure.
01:14But harmless.
01:14But harmless.
01:16Except nothing about him feels harmless.
01:17Tonight I'm walking to my car in the faculty lot.
01:21Late because I stayed to grade papers I've been avoiding.
01:24And the campus is empty.
01:26Street lamps throwing gold across the pavement.
01:29My heels clicking too loud.
01:31I hear footsteps behind me.
01:33I don't turn around.
01:34I speed up.
01:36So do they.
01:37My keys are already in my hand.
01:39Pointed out like a weapon.
01:40And my heart is slamming so hard I taste copper.
01:43I'm ten feet from my car when someone grabs my arm and spins me around.
01:47It's not him.
01:48It's a man I've never seen before.
01:51Buzz cut.
01:51Scar through his eyebrow.
01:53Smile that makes my stomach drop.
01:56Sienna Hayes, he says.
01:58I yank my arm back.
01:59Let go of me.
02:00Relax.
02:02He steps closer.
02:03Just need to ask you a few questions.
02:05About what?
02:07Your brother.
02:08The world tilts.
02:11I haven't heard from Eli in six months.
02:14Not since he called me at two in the morning.
02:16High out of his mind.
02:18Begging me to wire him money I didn't have.
02:20Not since I said no and he hung up on me and disappeared.
02:23I don't know where he is, I say.
02:27My voice shakes.
02:29I hate that it shakes.
02:31That's not what I asked.
02:33His hand moves toward his jacket and I don't wait to see what he's reaching for.
02:37I turn and run.
02:38I make it three steps before he catches me by the hair.
02:41I scream.
02:42He slams me against the side of my car and pain explodes through my shoulder.
02:47His breath is hot against my ear.
02:49Your brother owes money.
02:51A lot of it.
02:51And since he's gone, someone's got to pay.
02:54I don't have anything.
02:57Then you better find something.
02:59He shoves me again, harder this time, and my knees buckle.
03:02I hit the pavement.
03:04Taste blood.
03:05And then I hear it.
03:07Footsteps.
03:08Fast.
03:09Controlled.
03:11Someone grabs the man by the back of his neck and throws him off me like he weighs nothing.
03:15I look up, gasping, and it's him, the student from my class.
03:20He's standing between me and the man with the scar, and his expression is calm.
03:24Too calm.
03:25Like this is boring.
03:27Walk away, he says.
03:30His voice is quiet.
03:32Steady.
03:33Terrifying.
03:35Scar guy laughs.
03:36You have no idea who you're messing with.
03:39Yes, I do.
03:41Something passes between them.
03:44A look.
03:45A recognition.
03:46And then Scar guy's face goes white.
03:49Holy shit.
03:50He breathes.
03:51You're...
03:52I said walk away.
03:54He does.
03:56Scrambles backward, nearly tripping over himself.
03:59And then he's gone.
04:00Running across the lot like something's chasing him.
04:03I'm still on the ground.
04:05Shaking.
04:06Trying to process what just happened.
04:08The man from my class turns to me.
04:10Crouches down.
04:11His eyes are softer now.
04:13Almost gentle.
04:15You okay?
04:16He asks.
04:17I nod.
04:18Then shake my head.
04:19I don't know.
04:21He offers me his hand.
04:23I stare at it for a long moment before I take it.
04:27His grip is warm.
04:28Steady.
04:29He pulls me to my feet like I weigh nothing.
04:33What?
04:33Who are you?
04:35I whisper.
04:36Someone who's been keeping an eye on you.
04:39Why?
04:40He doesn't answer.
04:42Just looks at me like he's deciding something.
04:45Your brother, he says finally.
04:48Eli Hayes.
04:48He borrowed money from people he shouldn't have.
04:51People who don't forgive debts.
04:53My chest tightens.
04:55How do you know that?
04:57Because I'm one of those people.
05:00I step back.
05:01Or try to.
05:02But my legs won't hold me.
05:04And he catches me before I fall.
05:07Easy.
05:08He murmurs.
05:09His hands are on my waist.
05:11Steadying me.
05:12And I can feel the heat of him through my blouse.
05:14I don't understand.
05:16I say.
05:17My voice is breaking.
05:19Are you here to.
05:21Are you going to hurt me?
05:24No.
05:25Then what do you want?
05:27He's quiet for a beat.
05:29Then.
05:30To keep you safe.
05:32I don't need.
05:34Yes, you do.
05:35And the way he says it.
05:38Like it's not up for debate.
05:40Like he's already decided.
05:41Makes something in my chest crack open.
05:44Who are you?
05:46I ask again.
05:48Dominic Caney.
05:50The name means nothing to me.
05:52But the way he says it sounds like it should.
05:54I've been in your class for three weeks.
05:58He continues.
05:59Not because I care about philosophy.
06:01Because your brother's disappearance put a target on your back.
06:04And I needed to make sure you were still breathing.
06:07Why would you care if I'm breathing?
06:10His jaw tightens.
06:11Because you didn't deserve to get dragged into this.
06:15Into what?
06:16My world.
06:17He says it like it's a death sentence.
06:20I should be afraid.
06:21I should run.
06:22Call the police.
06:23Do literally anything except stand here in a dark parking lot with a man who just admitted he's dangerous.
06:29But I don't.
06:30Because for the first time in six months someone is telling me the truth.
06:33And because when I look at him I don't see a threat.
06:36I see the only person who stood between me and the wolves.
06:40Come on.
06:41He says quietly.
06:42I'm taking you home.
06:44I can drive myself.
06:46No.
06:47You can't.
06:49He's already guiding me toward a black SUV parked two rows over.
06:52I don't resist.
06:54I'm too tired.
06:55Too scared.
06:56Too confused.
06:58He opens the passenger door for me and I climb in like I'm moving through water.
07:02The interior smells like leather and that same cedar scent from before.
07:07He gets in beside me, starts the engine, and we pull out of the lot in silence.
07:11I should ask him questions, demand answers, figure out what the hell is happening to my life.
07:18But instead I just sit there staring at my hands and try not to cry.
07:22Where do you live?
07:24He asks.
07:25I give him my address.
07:28He doesn't need directions.
07:30Of course he doesn't.
07:31We're halfway there when I finally find my voice.
07:34What happens now?
07:36He glances at me.
07:37His profile is sharp in the passing streetlights.
07:40Beautiful in a way that makes my chest ache.
07:43Now, he says, you let me handle this.
07:46And if I don't?
07:47Then you die.
07:49He says it so simply, so matter of fact, and I believe him.
07:54When we pull up outside my apartment, he kills the engine but doesn't move.
07:58Pack a bag, he says.
08:00What?
08:01You're not staying here tonight.
08:03I'm not going anywhere with you.
08:06Yes, you are.
08:07You can't just...
08:09Sienna.
08:10He turns to face me and the intensity in his gaze steals my breath.
08:15They know where you live.
08:17They know where you work.
08:18And they will come back.
08:20So you can either trust me, or you can wait here alone and see what happens.
08:26I hate that he's right.
08:28I hate that I'm already reaching for the door handle.
08:31One night, I say.
08:34His mouth curves.
08:35Not quite a smile.
08:37One night.
08:38I don't believe him, but I follow him inside anyway.
08:42One night turns into three.
08:44Then a week.
08:46Then I stop counting.
08:47Dominic's place isn't what I expected.
08:50I thought maybe a penthouse.
08:52Something cold and modern with too much glass.
08:55But it's a brownstone in a quiet neighborhood.
08:58Brick and ivy.
08:59Tall windows that let in actual sunlight.
09:01The kind of place that feels lived in.
09:03He gives me the guest room on the second floor.
09:06King bed.
09:07Its own bathroom.
09:09A lock on the door he never asks me to use.
09:12Make yourself comfortable, he says that first night, standing in the doorway like he's afraid
09:17to come closer.
09:19Anything you need, just ask.
09:21I need to understand what's happening.
09:25He's quiet for a long moment.
09:28Then, tomorrow, get some sleep first.
09:32But I don't sleep.
09:34I lie awake listening to him move around downstairs, wondering how my life became this.
09:40Morning comes with the smell of coffee.
09:41I find him in the kitchen, standing at the counter in a white t-shirt and dark jeans, pouring
09:46two cups.
09:47He slides one toward me without looking up.
09:50You take it black, he says.
09:53Not a question.
09:55How do you know that?
09:56I pay attention.
09:59Something about the way he says it makes my skin warm.
10:02I sit at the island, wrapping both hands around the mug and wait.
10:06He leans back against the counter.
10:09Studies me like I'm a problem he's trying to solve.
10:12Your brother, he starts.
10:14He borrowed $300,000 from a man named Viktor Lazarov, Russian, not someone you want to
10:20owe money to.
10:21My stomach drops.
10:23$300?
10:24How is that even possible?
10:27Gambling, drugs, take your pick.
10:30His voice is flat, clinical.
10:32He had six months to pay it back.
10:35He didn't.
10:37So Viktor sent people to collect.
10:39And when they couldn't find Eli, they started looking at his family.
10:43I haven't seen him in months.
10:45I don't have that kind of money.
10:48I know.
10:49Then what am I supposed to do?
10:51He sets his coffee down, crosses his arms.
10:54Nothing.
10:56I'm handling it.
10:57Why?
10:59The question hangs between us.
11:00Because, he says slowly, I made a mistake, and you're paying for it.
11:07What mistake?
11:08His jaw tightens.
11:10I'm the one who introduced your brother to Viktor.
11:12The air goes out of my lungs.
11:16What?
11:17Two years ago.
11:19Eli was working for me.
11:20Running errands, nothing major.
11:22He asked if I knew anyone who could front him some cash.
11:26I pointed him toward Viktor.
11:28I thought...
11:29He stops.
11:30Shakes his head.
11:31I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to borrow that much.
11:35I stand up so fast the stool scrapes against the floor.
11:38You're telling me this is your fault?
11:41Yes.
11:42And now you're what?
11:44Playing hero to ease your conscience?
11:46No.
11:48He steps closer.
11:49His eyes are dark.
11:51Burning.
11:52I'm keeping you alive because you don't deserve to die for your brother's choices.
11:56Or mine.
11:57I didn't ask for your protection.
12:00Too bad.
12:01You have it anyway.
12:03We're standing too close now.
12:05Close enough that I can see the shadow of stubble along his jaw.
12:08Close enough to count his heartbeats.
12:10I should be furious.
12:12I should hate him.
12:13But all I feel is heat.
12:16I need to go to work, I say.
12:18My voice comes out breathless.
12:20I have classes.
12:22Already handled.
12:23You're on emergency leave.
12:25Family crisis.
12:26You can't just make decisions for me.
12:29Watch me.
12:31The arrogance in his voice should piss me off.
12:33Instead, it does something else entirely.
12:36I turn away before he can see my face.
12:39This is insane.
12:41Yeah.
12:42He says quietly.
12:44It is.
12:45Days blur together.
12:47He leaves most mornings.
12:49Won't tell me where.
12:50Comes back tense and silent.
12:52Like he's carrying the weight of something I can't see.
12:55I try to keep myself busy.
12:57Grade papers I had stored on my laptop.
12:59Read books I've been meaning to get to.
13:01Pretend this is normal.
13:03But nothing about this is normal.
13:04Especially not the way I catch him watching me when he thinks I'm not looking.
13:08Or the way my breath catches every time he walks into a room.
13:12One afternoon I'm on the couch with a book I'm not actually reading when he sits down beside me.
13:16Close but not touching.
13:18Tell me something.
13:20He says.
13:21I glance up.
13:22Like what?
13:24Anything.
13:25Something real.
13:27I close the book.
13:29Why?
13:30Because I want to know you.
13:32Not just keep you safe.
13:34The honesty in his voice unravels something in my chest.
13:37Okay.
13:38I say slowly.
13:39I became a professor because I wanted to prove I was different from Eli.
13:43That I could make something of myself.
13:45That I wasn't just...
13:47I stop.
13:48Swallow hard.
13:50We grew up with nothing.
13:52Mom was gone.
13:53Dad drank himself to death when I was 16.
13:56Eli raised me mostly.
13:57He tried so hard.
13:59But somewhere along the way he broke.
14:01And I couldn't fix him.
14:02So I ran.
14:03I got scholarships.
14:05Went to college.
14:06Built a life that didn't look like ours.
14:08And I told myself I was better than him.
14:11My voice cracks on the last word.
14:14But you're not better.
14:15Dominic says quietly.
14:16You're just luckier.
14:18I look at him.
14:19Really look at him.
14:21At the scar above his left eyebrow.
14:23The way his hands are never still.
14:25The careful distance he keeps even now.
14:28Tell me something real.
14:30I whisper.
14:31He's quiet for so long I think he won't answer.
14:34Then,
14:34I grew up in this world.
14:37My father ran the city before me.
14:38And when he died, I inherited everything.
14:41The business.
14:42The debts.
14:42The enemies.
14:43I was 22.
14:44I didn't want it.
14:46But you don't walk away from this life.
14:48You survive it.
14:49Or you die in it.
14:51He pauses.
14:52I've done things I can't take back.
14:55Hurt people who didn't deserve it.
14:56And I told myself it was necessary.
14:58That it was just how things worked.
15:00But then I met you.
15:02What does that mean?
15:04It means you make me want to be different.
15:07His voice drops.
15:09And I don't know if that's possible.
15:11The confession sits between us like a lit match.
15:14I should move.
15:15Say something.
15:16But I can't.
15:18His hand lifts.
15:19Hesitates.
15:20Then cups my face.
15:22His thumb brushes my cheekbone so gently I could cry.
15:26Sienna.
15:27The door slams open.
15:29We both jerk apart.
15:31A man strides in.
15:32Tall, blonde, expensive suit.
15:34He looks at Dominic, then at me.
15:36And his expression darkens.
15:38We have a problem.
15:39He says.
15:40Dominic stands.
15:42Not now, Julian.
15:43Yeah.
15:44Now.
15:45Julian's eyes cut to me.
15:47Victor knows she's here.
15:49My blood goes cold.
15:50How?
15:51Dominic's voice is lethal.
15:53Does it matter?
15:54He's demanding a meeting.
15:56Tonight.
15:57And he wants her there.
15:59No.
16:00It's not a request, Dom.
16:02He said if you don't bring her, he'll come get her himself.
16:04And he won't be polite about it.
16:07Dominic moves so fast I barely see it.
16:09He has Julian by the collar, slammed against the wall.
16:12Then we end this.
16:14Tonight.
16:15With what army?
16:16Julian chokes out.
16:18He's got twenty men.
16:19You've got five.
16:20I don't need an army.
16:22You need a plan.
16:22And right now, you don't have one.
16:26Dominic releases him.
16:27Steps back.
16:28Runs both hands through his hair.
16:30When he turns to look at me, his face is stone.
16:33Get dressed, he says.
16:34Something nice.
16:35We're going out.
16:37Dominic, it'll be fine.
16:39You just said, I know what I said.
16:42He crosses to me.
16:43Takes my hands.
16:44His grip is tight.
16:46Almost desperate.
16:47I will not let him touch you.
16:49Do you understand me?
16:50Whatever happens tonight, you stay behind me.
16:52You don't speak unless he asks you a direct question.
16:55And you trust that I will get you out of there alive.
16:58What about you?
17:00Something flickers in his eyes.
17:02Something that looks like goodbye.
17:04Don't worry about me.
17:05That's not an answer.
17:07It's the only one I have.
17:10Two hours later, I'm wearing a black dress I found in the closet.
17:13His sisters, he said, though he didn't elaborate.
17:16And sitting in the back of the SUV beside Dominic.
17:20His hand is on my thigh.
17:22Not sexual.
17:23Just anchoring.
17:25If things go bad, he says quietly.
17:29Julian will get you out.
17:31You go with him.
17:32Don't argue.
17:34Don't look back.
17:35I'm not leaving you.
17:37Yes, you are.
17:39Dominic.
17:40He turns to face me fully.
17:42I have done a lot of terrible things in my life, Sienna.
17:45But letting you die won't be one of them.
17:47So if I tell you to run, you run.
17:50Promise me.
17:52Tears burn my eyes.
17:53I can't.
17:55Promise me.
17:57Why do you even care?
17:59My voice breaks.
18:01You barely know me.
18:03He leans in close.
18:05His forehead touches mine.
18:07His breath is warm against my lips.
18:09Because, he whispers.
18:12The first time I saw you standing in front of that classroom, talking about truth and
18:16meaning like they still mattered, I knew I was looking at the only good thing I'd ever
18:19want.
18:20And I'm not letting the darkness I live in touch you.
18:23Not if I can help it.
18:24Then he kisses me.
18:26Soft.
18:27Desperate.
18:29Like he's trying to memorize the shape of my mouth.
18:32When he pulls back, his eyes are wet.
18:34I'm sorry, he says.
18:37For all of it.
18:39The car stops.
18:41We've arrived.
18:42I don't remember much about that night.
18:45Not really.
18:46I remember Victor.
18:47Silver hair.
18:48Dead eyes.
18:49Smile like a blade.
18:51I remember the restaurant he chose.
18:53Empty except for his men lining the walls.
18:56I remember Dominic's hand never leaving the small of my back.
19:00I remember Victor asking me questions I couldn't answer.
19:03Where's your brother?
19:05When did you last speak?
19:07What did he tell you?
19:08I remember saying I don't know until the words lost meaning.
19:13And I remember the moment everything went wrong.
19:16Victor stood up.
19:18Nodded to one of his men.
19:20Said something in Russian that made Dominic go rigid beside me.
19:23Then gunfire.
19:25Glass shattering.
19:26People shouting.
19:27Dominic throwing me to the ground and covering my body with his.
19:31His blood on my hands.
19:32His voice in my ear.
19:34Run.
19:34After that, everything's just fragments.
19:37Julian dragging me out a back exit.
19:39Sirens.
19:40Hospital lights.
19:41A doctor telling me Dominic was in surgery and I should pray.
19:45I didn't pray.
19:47I just sat in that waiting room, covered in his blood, and felt myself break into pieces I knew I'd never fit back together.
19:54That was four months ago.
19:57Now I'm standing in my apartment.
19:59My real apartment.
20:00Not his guest room.
20:02Staring at a stack of mail I haven't opened and trying to remember how to breathe.
20:06They told me Dominic survived.
20:08Two bullets.
20:10One in the shoulder.
20:11One that grazed his ribs.
20:13He'd been lucky.
20:14They also told me he left the hospital after three days.
20:18Disappeared.
20:19No one knew where.
20:20I tried to find him.
20:22Called Julian a dozen times.
20:24He never answered.
20:26Eventually I stopped trying.
20:28I went back to work.
20:29Back to teaching.
20:31Back to pretending my life was normal.
20:33But nothing's normal anymore.
20:35I can't stand in front of my class without scanning for him in the back row.
20:38Can't walk to my car without my pulse jumping at every shadow.
20:41Can't sleep without dreaming about his hands on my face.
20:45His voice saying I will not let him touch you.
20:49Eli's still missing.
20:51Victor's dead.
20:52I read about it in the paper.
20:54Some gang war that left five people dead and no witnesses.
20:57The debt died with him.
20:59I'm safe.
21:01I should feel relieved.
21:03Instead, I just feel empty.
21:06It's a Tuesday afternoon when someone knocks on my door.
21:09I'm grading papers, halfway through a student's incoherent essay on existentialism, when I
21:15hear it.
21:17Three sharp raps.
21:18I freeze.
21:20No one visits me.
21:21I don't have friends who drop by unannounced.
21:24And anyone who knows me knows I don't answer my door unless I'm expecting someone.
21:29Another knock.
21:30Louder this time.
21:31I set down my pen.
21:33Walk to the door.
21:34Look through the peephole.
21:36And my heart stops.
21:37It's him.
21:39Dominic's standing in my hallway wearing a dark jacket and jeans, hands in his pockets,
21:44looking at my door like he's not sure he has the right to be here.
21:47I open it so fast I nearly trip over my own feet.
21:50We stare at each other.
21:52He looks different.
21:54Thinner.
21:55Tired.
21:56There's a new scar on his jaw I don't remember.
21:58But his eyes, those dark, burning eyes, are exactly the same.
22:04Hi.
22:05He says quietly.
22:07I can't speak.
22:08Can't move.
22:10Can't do anything except look at him and try to convince myself he's real.
22:14Can I come in?
22:15He asks.
22:16I step aside.
22:18He walks past me into my living room, and I close the door with shaking hands.
22:22Turn to face him.
22:24You left.
22:24I say.
22:26My voice sounds strangled.
22:28You just disappeared.
22:30I know.
22:31For four months.
22:33I know.
22:33I thought.
22:35I stop.
22:36Press my hands to my face.
22:38I thought you were dead.
22:40Or that you didn't.
22:41That you.
22:43That I didn't care.
22:44I drop my hands.
22:46Yeah.
22:47He moves closer.
22:49Stops a few feet away like he's afraid I'll bolt.
22:52I left because I needed to make sure you were actually safe, he says.
22:57Victor was dead, but his people weren't.
22:59They wanted revenge.
23:01Wanted blood.
23:02And as long as I was anywhere near you, you were a target.
23:06So you just decided that for me?
23:09Didn't think I deserved to know?
23:11I thought it was better if you hated me.
23:13Easier.
23:14Easier for who?
23:15For you.
23:17His voice cracks.
23:19You got your life back, Sienna.
23:20Your job.
23:22Your freedom.
23:23You didn't need me dragging you back into the dark.
23:26That wasn't your choice to make.
23:28I know.
23:30Then why are you here now?
23:32He looks at me for a long moment.
23:34And I see it.
23:35The fear behind the confidence.
23:38The vulnerability he's spent his whole life hiding.
23:40Because it's done, he says.
23:43Victor's people are gone.
23:44Scattered or dead.
23:46The threat's over.
23:47And I spent four months trying to convince myself you were better off without me.
23:51He takes a breath.
23:52But I can't stop thinking about you.
23:55Can't sleep.
23:56Can't focus.
23:57Can't do anything except wonder if you ever think about me, too.
24:01My throat tightens.
24:02Every day.
24:04Something in his expression breaks.
24:07I wanted to give you a choice, he says.
24:10A real one.
24:11Not in the middle of gunfire or threats or chaos.
24:14Just this.
24:16Me standing here asking if there's any chance you could want this.
24:19Us.
24:20Whatever that looks like.
24:22What does it look like?
24:24I don't know.
24:26He steps closer.
24:28Close enough to touch now.
24:30I'm trying to build something different.
24:33Something that doesn't involve blood and violence and people dying in the streets.
24:37I'm getting out.
24:39Slowly.
24:41Carefully.
24:42But I'm getting out.
24:45Why?
24:46Because you asked me once if I thought I could be different.
24:49His hand lifts.
24:51Cups my face the way it did that day on his couch.
24:54And I want to find out.
24:56Tears slide down my cheeks.
24:58I don't try to stop them.
25:00I'm scared.
25:02I whisper.
25:03Me, too.
25:05What if it doesn't work?
25:07Then at least we tried.
25:09His thumb brushes away my tears.
25:11I'm not asking you to fix me, Sienna.
25:14Or save me.
25:15I'm just asking if you'll let me try to be someone worth loving.
25:19I let out a sound that's half laugh, half sob.
25:23You already are.
25:25His eyes close.
25:27Like the words hurt.
25:28Like they heal.
25:30Then he kisses me.
25:31And it's nothing like that desperate kiss in the car.
25:35This one's slow.
25:36Careful.
25:37Like he's learning me.
25:38Like we have all the time in the world.
25:41When we break apart, I'm shaking.
25:44Stay, I say.
25:46How long?
25:47I don't know.
25:48Tonight.
25:49Tomorrow.
25:50As long as you want.
25:52His forehead touches mine.
25:54That might be a while.
25:56Good.
25:57Three months later, I'm walking across campus when I see him.
26:01He's leaning against a tree near the library.
26:04Hands in his pockets.
26:05Watching me with that same intensity that stole my breath the first time.
26:10But now it doesn't scare me.
26:12Now it feels like coming home.
26:15I change direction.
26:16Walk over to him.
26:17He straightens when I get close.
26:19What are you doing here?
26:21I ask.
26:23Thought I'd pick you up.
26:24Take you to lunch.
26:26I have office hours and 20 minutes.
26:29Cancel them.
26:30I raise an eyebrow.
26:31You're very demanding.
26:33You like it.
26:35I do.
26:36God help me, I do.
26:38He takes my hand.
26:40Threads our fingers together.
26:41And we start walking.
26:43It's been slow.
26:45Learning each other.
26:46Learning how to exist in the space between his world and mine.
26:50He's kept his word.
26:51Stepping back from the life that almost killed us both.
26:54It's not easy.
26:56Some days are harder than others.
26:58But we're trying.
27:00And that's enough.
27:02How was your morning?
27:03I ask.
27:04Met with Julian.
27:06He's taking over the last of the businesses.
27:08Should be done by next month.
27:10And then?
27:11He glances at me.
27:13Smiles.
27:13Then I'm just a guy who's completely in love with his girlfriend.
27:18My heart stumbles.
27:20Girlfriend?
27:21Unless you have a better word for it.
27:24I don't.
27:25I really don't.
27:27We walk in comfortable silence for a while.
27:30The sun's bright overhead.
27:32Students streaming past us.
27:34Everything ordinary and safe and beautifully boring.
27:38I got a letter from Eli.
27:40I say quietly.
27:42Dominic stops walking.
27:44When?
27:45Yesterday.
27:46He's in rehab, Colorado.
27:48Says he's been clean for two months.
27:50You going to see him?
27:52Maybe.
27:53Eventually.
27:54I look up at him.
27:55Would you come with me?
27:57Anywhere.
27:58And he means it.
28:00I can hear it in his voice.
28:02We start walking again.
28:04His thumb traces circles on the back of my hand.
28:08You know what I thought about?
28:09I say.
28:10That night in the restaurant?
28:12Right before everything went wrong?
28:14What?
28:15That if I died, at least the last thing I'd remember was you telling me I was the only good thing you'd ever want.
28:20He stops again.
28:23Pulls me close.
28:24His hands frame my face.
28:26You're not going to die.
28:27He says fiercely.
28:28Not for a long time.
28:30And when you're old and gray and still arguing with your students about the meaning of truth,
28:33I'm going to be right there beside you.
28:36Understand?
28:37I smile through fresh tears.
28:40That's a long time to put up with me.
28:43Not long enough.
28:45He kisses me.
28:46Right there in the middle of campus.
28:49In front of everyone.
28:50And I kiss him back.
28:52Because this is what healing looks like.
28:54Not perfect.
28:55Not easy.
28:56Just two broken people choosing each other every single day.
28:59Choosing to build something new from the wreckage.
29:02Choosing love over fear.
29:04Choosing to believe that we deserve this.
29:06Deserve each other.
29:07Despite everything that tried to destroy us.
29:10The darkness is behind us now.
29:12And the light ahead?
29:14It's ours.
29:15So, did you just fall for a mobster too?
29:19Or is it just me?
29:20Want another hit?
29:22Follow for stories that'll wreck you in the best way possible.
29:25The kind you'll listen to twice.
29:27The kind that make you feel everything.
29:29Because you didn't come here for cute.
29:31You came here for real.
29:32And baby, I'm just getting started.
29:35Drop a comment if Dominic Caney owns real estate in your head now.
29:39I need to know I'm not suffering alone.
29:41Next story drops soon.
29:43Try not to get too attached this time.
29:44I'm kidding.
29:45Get completely attached.
29:46That's the whole point.
29:47I'll do that.
29:59But you don't have to see you inside.
30:00I know.
30:06Yeah.
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