For a few seconds after Rowan spoke, I didn't move.
It wasn't because I didn't understand what he had said. It was because I understood it too well.
"You're leaving with me."
Not a request. Not even a suggestion. It was the kind of statement that didn't leave space for negotiation, and under different circumstances, I might have reacted immediately, might have pushed back without thinking, simply because I refused to be told what to do.
But this wasn't just about control.
It was about everything he hadn't said.
"I don't think you get to decide that," I replied, keeping my voice steady, even though something in my chest had already started to tighten in a way I didn't like.
Rowan didn't step closer, but his presence still felt like it had.
"I'm not deciding it for you," he said. "I'm telling you what happens if you stay."
"That sounds exactly like deciding."
"It's a consequence."
