Micah blinked several times, as if forcing his vision to steady. The room was dimmed, and the only light came from the bedside lamp. It took a second for his breathing to even out as the memories caught up with him. Then his gaze settled on Clyde's face.
Clyde was sitting close by, one knee bent, arms resting loosely on his thighs. He looked tired, the kind of tired that didn't come from lack of sleep but from carrying too many thoughts at once. His expression froze when Micah smiled at him.
Micah's smile was indeed gentle but beneath it lay sheer determination, hiding everything sharp and overwhelming inside. He pushed all of it down. The love that burned too hot. The longing that had been festering across countless lifetimes. The guilt that clawed at his chest whenever he remembered how many times Clyde had lived through it because of him. He forced it all down to the very bottom of his heart and locked it there.
