Page 61 of Let Me In

And even though I’m scared—of whatever is coming, of why he’s like this—I’m not scared of him.

Not for a second.

The dogs are already waiting.

Luca stands at the door like a soldier on duty, eyes bright, tail still. Cleo stretches with a little huff before trotting after him, tail wagging half-heartedly, like she hasn’t decided if she’s excited or suspicious of the frost-laced air beyond the glass.

Cal opens the door for me.

Doesn’t tell me to wait.

Just steps aside, lets me move first.

But I feel him behind me the whole way. The heat of him. The watchfulness.

Outside, the morning is still half-asleep.

The trees are dusted in frost, even though it’s mid-May. It will melt away by noon. The yard glows soft in the pale light. Everything smells clean and sharp.

I tug the blanket tighter and step onto the porch. Luca bounds into the yard, nose to the ground. Cleo hesitates, then follows.

I take one slow breath.

Cal stays close, while the dogs do their business. I don’t move either.

Not touching. Just there. And even though he’s not looking at me, I know he’s not really watching the dogs either.

He’s scanning the tree line.

Not obvious. Not dramatic. Just quiet, practiced attention. Eyes moving slowly, shoulders loose but ready. Like someone who’s done this before. Like someone who knows what to watch for.

I don’t ask, but I feel the chill crawl higher.

My fingers clutch the blanket tighter, and I shift unconsciously closer to him. I don’t mean to. I don’t think about it. I just… do.

And without a word, he steps half a pace in front of me.

Places himself between me and the woods.

The move is so subtle I might have missed it if I weren’t already watching him like he’s the fixed point I didn’t know I’d been orbiting.

He doesn’t speak.

Doesn’t explain.

But every part of him is saying something—through the set of his shoulders, the way his feet plant just slightly wider, grounding him. In the subtle rhythm of his breath. In the way his eyes scan and settle and scan again, calm but relentless.

You don’t need to be afraid.

I’ll see it before it sees you.

Nothing touches you while I’m here.

The dogs finish quickly. Luca trots back first, Cleo bounding behind, tail up now like the danger was never real. I open the door, and they hurry inside. I turn back just once before I follow—

Just long enough to see Cal still watching the trees.

Still listening.

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