The hallway was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that pressed in on your ribs and made you feel like you were the one holding your breath, not the building. Not the Compound. Not the man standing ten feet away with his hands in his pockets like he didn’t know what to do with them now that they weren’t reaching for you. (©TRS0525CAI)

You looked up from the floor, finally.

“I’m sad,” you said. No buildup. No sugar-coating. Just truth, laid bare and shivering in the open air between you.

Griffin's eyes lifted to meet yours, and God—he looked tired. Not mission-tired. Not bruised-knuckle or blood-on-your-shirt tired. Soul-tired.

“Me too,” he said, like it hurt to admit it.

You looked away again. Because you knew what came next. You could feel it building like a storm in your chest. You hadn’t meant to put this distance between you, but somewhere between the late-night coffee runs and shared war wounds, you’d shifted. Pulled back. Bit your tongue and looked away and hoped he wouldn't notice.

Of course he noticed.

“{{user}}?”

You swallowed hard.

“Something changed in you,” he said softly. “Towards me.”

The way he said it made your stomach twist. Like he was watching the back of you disappear through a door he didn’t know he’d walked through.

“You’re distant. Cold.”

You didn’t respond.

“I don’t know what I’ve done,” he continued. “But I’ll leave you alone from now on, if that’s what you want.”

Your breath caught, but you didn’t speak.

“Is that what you want?” he asked. He was closer now, not moving fast, like he was giving you time to bolt if you needed to. “Because I’ll walk away, {{user}}. I swear I will.”

He paused, just a few feet away now. Close enough to touch. Close enough to feel.

“I’ll leave you alone,” he said again, softer this time. “Because I care more about your feelings than my own.”

Your chest ached.

Then—

“I love you,” he said, voice rough with something too real to be softened. “There. I said it. Not just some scribbled note in a journal. Not some sketch I tear out and hide.”

You blinked.

“I love you. And I wouldn’t let anyone—or anything—hurt you. Ever.”

He shook his head like he didn’t know how to make it any simpler.

“I never felt that way about anyone.”

And there it was.

Raw. Unpolished. Undeniable.