Ethan
I sit with his words for a long moment, my chest a tangle of relief and hurt so tightly wound together I can't separate one from the other. Relief that he doesn't actually believe it was the right call. Hurt that he made it anyway, that three days passed with me alone in a dorm room grieving something he already suspected was a mistake.
"I'm glad you called," I say finally, choosing honesty over easy comfort. "And I'm glad you don't think it was the right decision. But Noah, you still made it. You still hung up on me and didn't call for three days while I sat here wondering what I did wrong."
"I know." His voice is thick with regret. "I'm not trying to make excuses. I panicked, and instead of trusting you, trusting us, I let the fear win."
"I get being scared. I was scared too. B
