Page 263 of Let Me In

He stands just outside the circle of light. No urgency in his stance. No threat. Just presence. Like he’s been here before. Like he never truly left.

He’s dressed plainly—heavy canvas jacket, dark pants, cap pulled low. And in his right hand, he holds a duffel. Weathered. Unmarked. The kind of bag that says nothing… but holds everything.

They don’t speak.

Cal doesn’t need to.

He steps forward, takes the bag. Nods once.

The Watcher returns it. That one slow, weighted nod.

He doesn’t step inside.

Their eyes meet. Something passes between them—acknowledgment, understanding.

And then, without a word, The Watcher turns and slips back into the dusk.

Cal shuts the door behind him with a quiet finality. The cabin seals around us—but something in the air has shifted. The world outside hasn’t changed. But we have.

Because now I’ve seen him.

And now he’s seen me.

My fingers curl tightly around the edge of the cushion, breath held without realizing. Cal sets the bag down by his boots. He leaves it closed. Says nothing about it. Just lets it sit there between us like a held breath.

He just walks back to me, slow and quiet, and kneels at my feet.

His hands find my knees. Warm and sure.

“I wanted you to see him,” he says. “That’s all.”

I nod.

“I’m not afraid,” I whisper. “Not of him.”

His thumb brushes over the back of my hand.

“And of me?” he asks softly.

I shake my head, tears pricking.

“No, Daddy,” I murmur, voice trembling now.

“Never of you.” I pull his hand between mine, cradling it like something sacred. “You’re the only place I’ve ever felt safe. The only person who’s never made me feel like too much.”

His breath shudders quietly through his nose, and when I glance up, his jaw is tight.

“I’d never hurt you, baby,” he murmurs. “Not in this lifetime, not in any scenario. Not even if the whole world turned sideways, baby. I’d never hurt you. That’s not who I am. That’s not what we do.”

His voice dips lower, steady and raw. “I need you to know that. Need to hear you say it. Because the things I have to do… they’re not always clean. But this, you and me, this is the line I won’t cross. Ever.”

I nod, and something inside me cracks wide open.

“I know,” I whisper. “That’s why I trust you.”

He closes his eyes.

Just for a second.

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