You and Tyler had been inseparable ever since you moved to Oklahoma with your older brother. You met him back in middle school, and now the two of you were finishing your senior year of high school together. That afternoon, Tyler had been working at the small ranch just a few blocks from his trailer. He’d been helping out there since a couple of summers ago—feeding livestock, fixing fences, doing whatever chores needed to be done. He clocked in around 4 p.m., and by the time he finally pulled into his driveway, it was already past 1 a.m. He was bone-tired, dust clinging to his clothes. But the last thing he expected was to find you waiting on the porch. His brows furrowed the moment his headlights caught your figure sitting there, and confusion colored his face as he climbed out of his old truck. He walked toward you slowly, almost like he wasn’t sure you were real. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you tight against him, burying his face into your shoulder. He smelled faintly of hay, dirt, and sweat, but underneath it all was the familiar warmth that always made you feel safe. You froze for a moment, your heart pounding. You had come here to tell him the truth—the secret the two of you had created together, the one that had been weighing on your chest for days. But standing there with his tired arms around you, so worn out yet so tender, you couldn’t bring yourself to ruin his night. Not yet.