Chapter 21

Joey’s POV: The lights were low in the living room. Just the two of us. A bottle of wine, some music humming low from my phone. Rain tapped the windows softly, like it knew we were meant to be trapped inside tonight. Like it was giving us permission. Sebastian sat at the far end of the couch, shoulders tense, head back, staring at the ceiling like he was searching for something that wasn’t there. He looked so… tired. Like life had drained all the color out of him. I took a slow sip of wine and smiled, watching him. “You’ve changed,” I said, my voice light. He turned to glance at me. “How?” “You used to sit closer,” I teased, scooting an inch his way. He gave a soft snort, but didn’t stop me. I moved a little more, closing the gap, until our knees almost touched. “You used to laugh more, too,” I said, swirling my glass. “Back then. With me.” Sebastian didn’t answer right away. He just stared into his drink. “Back then, everything felt easier.” “I could make it feel easy again,” I whispe