Aryyah found herself returning to the workshop three days later, then two days after that, and then again the following afternoon; each visit felt easier than the last, each conversation flowing more naturally, each moment of silence more comfortable. She told herself she was just visiting a friend, someone who understood her past and didn't judge her present, but deep down, she knew it was becoming something more, something dangerous and complicated that she wasn't ready to name.

Cletus never ...