he thinks back seconds ago. the way her lips trembled when she asked if he was real almost undid him right there. he wanted to reach out, to touch her, to remind her—and maybe himself—that this wasn’t a dream. when she said he looked like a GQ model, he nearly laughed, but the smile stayed stuck somewhere in his throat. she had no idea how beautiful she was, standing there with her new heels and that damn look in her eyes that made him feel things he had spent the last year trying to forget. it was infuriating, how easy it was for her to turn him inside out. even now, even after all this time. when she mentions his drink, asking if he wanted to finish it, and the casualness of her question caught him off guard. he hadn’t expected her to seem so… calm. so okay with standing here with him after everything that had happened. ❝ i could, ❞ he answered, his voice low, eyes tracing her face like he was memorizing it all over again. then, he shrugged, setting the glass down on the bar, leaving it full. ❝ but i’d rather go somewhere with you. ❞ it wasn’t just about the noise or the crowd, or even the guy who clearly didn’t understand that his time was up. it was about them. they couldn’t talk here, not like they needed to. his gaze locked with hers, and for a moment, he swore the rest of the world disappeared. he leaned in, his voice just above a whisper. ❝ let’s get out of here then, willow. ❞ he hadn’t said her name in so long, but the way it felt on his lips—soft and familiar—almost broke something inside him. she was still his weakness, even now. especially now. somewhere between leaning in and whispering in her ear, his hand traveled over to touch her own. brushing fingertips in a warning, sliding the length of individual digits along one another. his fingers were longer than hers—the difference in size always stirred something within him. then, he intertwines them, pulling her away from the world that had turned silent and slowed for him.