Ethan
Her question stays in the air, I hear it... But I don't answer right away.
Because it is not a light question, it is not something that I can answer with just any sentence.
I look straight at her.
Holding her gaze as she holds mine. And for a second... Really off guard.
"No," I say finally, in a low voice.
I shake my head softly.
"It wouldn't have been the same."
My fingers squeeze theirs a little more, not hard, with intention.
"Seeing you," I continue, "was what made me react."
I pause briefly, searching for the right words. But I don't want to embellish it.
I want her to understand it for what it is.
"It was like... open my eyes suddenly."
I take a deep breath.
"I was living... but I wasn't feeling anything."
My gaze does not leave her.
"And when you came back— al
