(Willa)
Saying that out loud shifted something in me. I knew it was true, and I wasn’t as confused anymore. He made it clear that he would let me set my own pace and wouldn’t push anything on me, and I believed him.
Being with him, I felt seen. He listened to me in a way that I never knew outside of Lola and my parents and now Cali. I genuinely liked talking to him, and seeing his mask slip away and show who he was underneath made me like him even more.
I knew he had things to share, and I wouldn’t push him either, but I was beginning to trust him. Trust that he was different, and I hoped the Moon Goddess wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
“Good.” He smiled. “That’s settled then.”
“What’s settled?” I paused, running my fingers over his knuckles.
“We’ve established something.”
