Auden kept Blaise locked in his basement for twenty-one days. It looked like captivity, but it was the only way he could think of to make Blaise stay. Blaise had a phone, a smartwatch, and every chance to leave—yet from the first day, he kept the key under his pillow and never used it. Auden cooked for him, bought him racing models, and pretended to be in control, while Blaise leaned against the headboard watching him steal glances. Then a message about the Rourke family announcing Blaise's engagement made Auden believe he should let go. He quietly unlocked the ankle cuff, left breakfast and a blank note, and walked away alone. Blaise chased him to a resort, asking over and over, "What do you actually want?"—but Auden could never get the words "I love you" back. Only when Auden stopped making decisions for him, stopped backing away, stopped guessing—and finally asked—did Blaise answer not with "I know," but with "I love you too."
