The tension drained, not because they agreed, but because they were tired. Adam reached into his jacket and took out the compass keychain. He rolled it between his fingers. “I keep this to remember I’m not lost,” he said. “Even when you think I am.”
Vance remembered giving it to him years earlier, a small gift meant as encouragement, not a lifeline. “At least be careful,” he said. It was weaker than he wanted it to be. Adam gave him a small, sad smile. “I am,” he said. “You just never trust me.”