"So," Miku said, breaking the quiet, "what does staying look like to you?"
Jay didn't answer right away. "Smaller than I thought."
She smiled. "Good."
"Do you still feel like running?" she asked.
"Yes," he said honestly.
"And are you going to?"
"No," he replied. "At least… not without telling you."
"That's new," Miku said.
"It feels dangerous," Jay admitted.
"Honesty usually does."
They walked slowly, steps matching without effort.
"I don't want to promise you things I can't keep," Jay said.
"Then don't promise," Miku replied. "Participate."
He laughed softly. "You always reframe things."
"It's not reframing," she said. "It's naming what's already there."
Jay glanced at her. "What if I mess this up?"
"You will," Miku said plainly.
He stopped. "That's not comforting."
"It's realistic," she answered. "What matters is what you do after."
"And if what I do isn't enough?"
"Then we talk," she said. "And I decide if I can stay."
Jay nodded. "I like that you don't make staying automatic."
"It shouldn't be," she replied. "It should be chosen."
They sat down.
"Do you still feel like you're carrying me?" Jay asked.
"No," Miku said. "I feel like you're walking beside me."
He exhaled. "That's all I wanted."
She looked at him. "Then why did you push me away?"
"Because I didn't believe I deserved that," he admitted.
"And now?"
"I'm trying to."
Jay hesitated. "Can I ask something selfish?"
"You usually do."
"Stay," he said. Then corrected himself. "Today."
Miku smiled gently. "I already am."
Silence settled—not heavy, not tense.
Jay said quietly, "I don't feel cured."
Miku replied, "Good. Love isn't medicine."
"It feels steadier though."
"That's what happens when no one is pretending."
He reached for her hand again.
"I won't say 'leave me alone' anymore," he said.
"And if you feel like it?" she asked.
"I'll say what I actually mean."
"And what is that?"
He looked at her. "Don't go."
Miku squeezed his hand.
"Then say that next time," she said.
"I will," Jay replied. "Even if my voice shakes."
She smiled. "Especially then."
They didn't define what came next.
They didn't need to.
Because staying, they were learning, wasn't a destination.
It was a conversation they were finally willing to keep having.