Alex closed the door behind him and let out a long breath, shoulders sagging as the lock clicked into place.
He left the room dark. No need for lights. The silence pressed in, heavy and cold, but he didn't fight it.
He drifted to the window, gaze sliding down to the barely-there outline of the garden.
Tiny pathway bulbs glowed just enough to show a patch of earth and tangled branches.
One week. That's it.
Just a handful of mornings and Alex would leave. Leo would too in a different way.
They'd slip back into their separate orbits, distant but never really gone from each other's heads.
His chest hurt. Not real pain, but something sharp and tight.
I can't let him go.
The thought crashed in, fierce and raw so much that Alex almost said it out loud. But Mr. Kim's warning trailed right after.
One stupid mistake, one picture, and the whole house of cards comes down.
He pressed his forehead to the window. The glass felt icy, but he welcomed that.
