Shady

They both knew he wouldn't. He was born without a home, and he'd die without one. He didn't have the luxury of reclining anywhere. If he ever stopped running, his ...

the code of my regret

"Ah, yes," Pratik agreed, since Ash called his bluff. "I don't much enjoy when my colleagues call on me, and it's rather easier to avoid them if I don't have ...

Pratik blew air through his nose, quieter this time. "Fair point. I suppose it's good to have wood that's stronger than determination. Maybe I'll invest one of those doors someday."

"Hah," Pratik snorted but smiled a bit. "It's an impressively sturdy door, I'll give you that."

"It's alright," Pratik answered. His voice sounded more like a croak than an actual answer. He cleared his throat. "I suppose it's only fair. He did help me get it ...

Pratik caught up quickly but respectfully stayed a step behind, slowing so that Ash wouldn't feel rushed. Pratik felt his heart fluttering and wasn't quite sure why. He was relieved ...

Pratik stood when Ash did and watched the interaction intently. This confirmed his suspicions that Ash wasn't as detached as he wanted to pretend that he was. He was all ...

Pratik took a deep breath, grateful that the conversation had moved on from him, even though he felt vaguely threatened that it would turn full circle and come back to ...

Pratik was still tense, but he smiled a bit as he looked back at Mattathias. "Perhaps you can get a notebook of your own someday." And, hopefully, his stories would ...

"Something like that," Pratik agreed. He looked back at Ash, hoping he didn't look as vulnerable as he felt. He'd feel less exposed if he'd been sitting there in his ...

Pratik choked on his fish as his throat suddenly constricted. He coughed and reached for his water, trying to swallow down his anxiety along with the food. Of all the ...

Pratik watched him for a moment, then looked down at his plate and cut off a piece of fish instead of pressing the matter. There would be plenty of time ...

"That's too bad," Pratik answered, still trying to think of safer topics he could stick to. He'd learned plenty of family dynamics when he learned to recognize pressure points in ...

Pratik hesitated. The only questions and comments he could think of were going to get shot down faster than he could say them. How many children does she have? I ...