The conversation ends. Not with a clear resolution. Not with everything fixed. Just… quieter. Heavier.
We're still sitting on the same couch. Still close. But something's changed. The air feels different. Not cold. But not warm like before.
Just… uncertain.
I shift slightly, my hands now resting in my lap instead of his. I notice it immediately.
The absence. The space. "…I should go," I say quietly. The words come out before I can stop them.
Lucifer stills slightly. "…You just got here."
"I know."
A pause. "I just-" I stop, exhaling slowly. "I need to think." That's not a lie. Not even a little. Because my head is full again.
Of everything. Of what he said. Of what Daniel said. Of what this is becoming. And I don't know what to do with it.
Lucifer nods once. Slowly. "I understand."
And that. That somehow makes it worse.
Because he's not stopping me. Not arguing. Not asking me to stay. He's just. Letting me go.
I stand up, my movements slower now. More hesitant. Like part of me doesn't actually want to leave. But I do anyway. Because staying feels… dangerous. Too much too fast.
I walk toward the door. Each step heavier than the last. I reach for the handle. Pause.
Just for a second.
"Arlo."
I close my eyes briefly. "…Yeah?"
"I meant what I said earlier."
I turn slightly. Not fully. Just enough to look at him.
"I'm glad you came back."
My chest tightens again. Because I believe him. And that's the problem.
"…I don't know what this is," I admit quietly.
"Neither do I."
A pause. "But I want to figure it out."
The words hang in the air. Careful. Honest. Real.
My grip tightens slightly on the door handle.
Because part of me.... Really wants that too.
But. "I need time," I say. Lucifer nods.
"I know."
And just like that. I open the door. Step out. And leave. Again.
But this time. It doesn't feel like running.
It feels like… Something in between.