Gabe can't miss the way Caleb's eyes dart over him, even as all of his ingrained beliefs fight against every instinct to close the space between them. Underneath all of it, too, Gabe is afraid that this isn't real. Either it's not real because he's accidentally coercing Caleb or it's not real because there's no way Caleb could actually want him.

But when he bites down on any words and silences any internal song, Caleb is still right there.