The decision came on a quiet Tuesday morning while we were drinking coffee on the porch. The air was cold enough that we needed the thick blanket draped over both our laps, and the steam from our mugs curled upward in soft spirals before disappearing into the pale sky.
Elias had been quiet for a while, staring out at the bare lilac bushes. Then he set his mug down and turned to me.
“I think we should tell Lena and Tyler this week,” he said. “Not in a big dramatic way. Just… honest. Over coffee or dinner. They’ve been here for us through everything. It feels wrong to keep lying to them now that Amina knows.”
I studied his face. There was nervousness there, but also a quiet resolve I had come to recognize. “Are you ready for that?”
He nodded slowly. “I am. I don’t want to live in halves
