They sat together longer than either of them expected, the quiet no longer heavy but full—like something that didn't need to be filled.
Miku was the first to speak.
"Are you scared right now?" she asked.
Jay nodded. "Yeah. I am."
"Of what?"
"Of messing this up," he admitted. "Of saying the wrong thing and watching you pull away."
Miku studied him for a moment. "Do you still want to run?"
"Sometimes," he said honestly. "But not right now."
"And right now?"
"I want to stay."
She smiled softly. "Then stay."
Jay hesitated. "Not forever," he said. "I don't know how to promise that."
"I'm not asking for forever," Miku replied. "I'm asking for now."
"That I can do," he said quietly.
They sat in silence again, close enough to feel each other's presence without needing to touch.
"I don't know how to be easy," Jay said after a while.
"I don't need easy," Miku answered. "I need you to be here."
"I'm trying," he said.
"I can see that," she replied. "And it matters."
Jay exhaled slowly. "Are you tired of walking at my pace?"
"No," Miku said. "I just won't disappear to match it."
He nodded, understanding settling in. "That scares me."
"It should," she said gently. "It means we're both being honest."
Jay looked at her then—really looked at her. "I've never had someone stay without pulling or pushing."
"I'm not here to control you," Miku said. "I'm here to walk beside you."
"And if you stop?"
"I'll stop too," she said. "But I won't lose myself waiting."
Jay smiled faintly. "That's fair."
He reached for her hand, tentative. "Is this okay?"
"Yes," Miku said, threading her fingers through his. "This is okay."
"I don't want to lose you," Jay said.
"Then don't treat me like something you'll find again later," she replied.
"I won't," he promised.
They sat like that, hands joined, the world moving quietly around them.
"Are we okay?" Jay asked.
"We're honest," Miku said. "That's better than okay."
He nodded. "I'm here."
"I know," she replied.
"I'm not leaving," he said.
"I know," she repeated.
Jay squeezed her hand gently. "Today?"
Miku smiled. "Today."
"And tomorrow?"
"We'll talk," she said.
Jay took a breath, steadying himself. "I choose you."
Miku met his eyes. "Say it without fear."
"I choose you," he said again—clear this time.
She smiled, warm and sure. "I'm choosing myself too."
"That doesn't scare me," Jay said. "It makes me trust you."
"Then stay," she said softly.
"I am," he replied.
And for the first time, staying didn't feel like a promise waiting to be broken—it felt like a choice they were making together, quietly, honestly, one moment at a time.