As much as it hurt to say it, I knew everything I’d just told Theo was completely true.

“Then I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t do anything else.â€?

“You can’t do that, you can’t get in trouble. It wouldn’t be fair. Why do you want to stick up for me anyway? You don’t know me!â€?

He went silent, then said, “I don’t know exactly why I’m trying to protect you. It kind of feels like… I’m sent to watch you.â€? He laughed. “Like a guardian angel, I suppose.â€?

Guardian angel? Using those words didn’t make sense, but I then knew that I cared about him just as much. We both didn’t have reasons, but it really did feel like we were meant to look after each other. If I could’ve, I would have been the one protecting him.

The feeling that we had a connection grew stronger every minute.

“Can I stay in your room?â€? I asked.

“I was going to ask you to.â€?

If I hadn’t felt anything Karon had been doing, maybe what he said before had been true. Maybe what he was going to do wouldn’t hurt.

Maybe it would work this time.