Page 93 of Let Me In

I smile, a little shy. “You’re not mad?”

His gaze flicks to mine.

“No,” he says simply. “Not mad. Not when you did this.”

He gestures toward the screen. Toward the signal we now have. The trail.

“Proud of you, little one.”

I swallow.

Hard.

Because that pride—it’s not just approval. It’s acceptance. Like I’ve earned something I didn’t even know I was trying to.

He sits back.

Still watching the screen, still holding my leg, and I know it then.

He’s already planning what comes next. He leans in again, studying the dot on the map.

“Can I see how the app works?” he asks, voice low.

“Yeah,” I nod, already unlocking the settings. “I can download it on your phone too, if you want. I’ll just log in with my details.”

He hands his phone over without a word.

No passcode, no hesitation.

I navigate the app store with practiced fingers, type in the name, and tap download.

The warmth of his trust isn’t lost on me.

Once it’s open, I enter my login—thumbs hovering for a second before I presssign in.

“There,” I murmur, handing it back. “You’ll get the same updates I do now.”

Cal’s gaze is fixed on the screen. On that blinking dot, still moving through the backroads a few towns over.

Quiet. Focused.

Then his eyes lift to mine.

And something gentler settles in them.

“Why’d you even have one of these?” he asks softly. Not suspicious. Just… curious. Like the answer might matter more than I think.

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. Glance down at my lap.

“I bought them when I first got the Surron,” I say, a little bashfully. “Two for one deal. Just in case it was stolen or I had to leave it somewhere weird. I put one under the seat.”

“And the second?”

I lift one shoulder in a shrug. “I didn’t know. I just… kept it. Synced and ready. Figured it might come in handy someday.”

His fingers tighten just slightly on my leg.

“You took it with you today.”

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