continued from here ( @thosedudes )
Isaiah's heart clenched at Zack's words. The vulnerability in his voice was a reminder of how tangled they both were in the mess of their past. He could feel the weight of every syllable Zack spoke, could almost hear the unspoken plea in his words, the rawness of someone trying to navigate a space where they weren't sure if they were welcome. After a long pause, Isaiah shifted, his eyes catching the dim outline of Zack's face in the dark. He could tell Zack was trying to hold himself together, but it wasn't working. Not like this. Not between them. "I never wanted it to be like this," Isaiah said, his voice low and rough, almost apologetic. "I'm not sure what I want either, Zack. I thought I could push all this away, but... I can't. Not when you're this close. Not when I can still feel it." His chest tightened as he exhaled slowly, fighting the impulse to close the distance between them, but unsure if he should. He paused, biting the inside of his lip as his thoughts collided, then finally, he spoke again, quieter, "I don't want you to sleep on the floor, man. I don't want you to leave. Just… Stop pretending. I can"t do that either."
