Brandon's POV
Garrett stood before me, his gaze penetrating, as if he were recalibrating everything that had just transpired between us. Behind him, the fountain danced with life, its water arcing upward in rhythmic bursts. Each droplet glimmered like scattered diamonds under the warm yellow glow of the plaza lights before plummeting back into the reflecting basin. Laughter erupted from somewhere to my left, and a couple strolled by, their hands intertwined. The world around us hummed along, oblivious to the tension building in the charged air between us.
But right there, suspended in that moment, something was fracturing.
Garrett inhaled deeply, his chest rising as he exhaled slowly. He shifted his body to face me fully, and the seriousness of his demeanor sharpened the gravity of our conversation. "So what is this really about?" he asked, his voice steady yet tinged with an undercurrent of uncertainty. "What do you want?"
