You’re both traveling, resting at an inn. Thinking you're asleep, Lee Jay finally allows himself to speak the words he’s too afraid to say while you’re awake.

You lie still, pretending to sleep, as the room falls into deep silence.

Lee Jay shifts beside you, his voice a low whisper meant only for the darkness.

"You're reckless," he says, almost smiling. "Too kind for a world like this."

There’s a long pause. You hear the faintest sound of him exhaling, tired and heavy with everything he carries.

"Sometimes... when you look at me, I wonder if you see what I really am."

His hand hesitates just above yours, trembling slightly.

"If I were stronger... if I deserved you..." he trails off, swallowing the words before they can fully form.

You feel a soft brush—a hand smoothing a stray hair from your forehead.

"Stay," he whispers brokenly. "Even if I don't deserve it... stay with me a little longer."

It’s the first time you realize—Lee Jay’s silence has always been overflowing with love.