Everly squeezes my hand and smiles at me as we walk down the block. The buildings on our left are all vacant and decaying, though they were once beautiful.

“I have a feeling I know why you brought me here,” I say to her.

“Shush,” she says, grinning. “Just look around.”

I sigh and do as she asks. We’re in the middle of the city, in a relatively bad neighborhood. The dilapidated buildings are all owned by Chester Winterfield, or at least they’re soon going to be owned by me. I’m going to knock them all down and build my shelter right here.

I’ve been to this spot once before, though briefly. It feels different today somehow as we circle around the block that I’m going to buy.

Most of these homes were built back in the twenties. Back then, these were beautiful, and people were proud to own them. Families grew up in these houses and prospered, at least for a little while.

Things changed in the sixties and the seventies. People began to move out of the cities and that only accelerated through the decades. Drugs and gangs and poverty moved in to replace the families, and in neighborhoods like this, the once-beautiful houses were all either foreclosed on or simply abandoned.

That’s how Chester ended up owning this entire city block. I suspect he had some grand plans for the land, but he just never got around to it, and since the neighborhood never improved on its own, he decided that it wasn’t worth trying to improve it himself. He likely bought all of these houses for half of what I’m paying from a bank, and he’s definitely making out like a bandit. Nobody would want to live in these structures, not anymore at least.

But I can still see the beauty in them. I can practically hear the kids playing in the streets, people sitting out on their stoops, neighbors talking, laughing, being together. That’s the whole point of a city. People that want to be around other people live in the city, even if it’s harder and less convenient sometimes. It’s everything I love about life, at least.

Local people eye us as we circle the block a couple times. Everly doesn’t say anything, she just looks at the buildings. I can’t see what she’s thinking, but I suspect it’s similar to what I have on my mind.

I keep seeing the shelter. I keep seeing the plans in my mind, and picturing how it’ll look in real life. It’s going to be beautiful, all gleaming glass and shining steel. It’s going to be a beacon of hope for everyone around here. Maybe people don’t even know they need something like this, but as soon as we build it, they’re going to come. I know it’s going to save this city, or at least it’s going to be a good first step.

“What do you think?” Everly asks me after we finish our third circle.

“It’s perfect,” I say. “Exactly why I want to buy it.”

“But what about all that?” she asks, gesturing at everything around us.

“What do you mean?”

She take my hand and bites her lip. I love that little habit. “Look at everything around this block. That’s what you’re doing this for, right?”

I nod my head slowly. The neighborhood is mostly residential, though some shops and corner stores still exist. Mostly though, it’s a food desert, and the nearest place that sells fresh produce is at least fifteen minutes by bus, longer if you have to walk. That’s practically the other side of the world for a lot of these people.

“You want this to happen,” she says simply.

“Yeah,” I say. “I really do.”

She steers me away from the sidewalk and we sit down on a stoop leading up to an abandoned house. Everything is boarded over, and I can smell musty air coming from the inside. It’s all broken and decaying, but I’m going to make it new again.

“Listen to me,” she says softly. “We’re so close, right?”

“We are,” I say. “But—“

“No,” she says, “listen, we can’t give up now. We’ve come so far. Are you really going to let a rat like Spencer stop you?”

“Of course not,” I say softly. “But what choice do I have?”

“I’m going on the date,” she says.

“No, you’re not.”

“I already called him two days ago. Last night, he left a message. We’re meeting tomorrow.”

I stare at her, not sure what to say. My first instinct is anger.

I can’t believe she went behind my back and set this up. I don’t know what the hell she’s thinking. Spencer Winterfield is fucking dangerous, and she shouldn’t ever put herself anywhere near that bastard. I don’t know what he’d do to her, and I don’t know if I can protect her if she goes on a date.

But my second reaction is different. I don’t know how to describe it. I think it’s something like admiration.

She knows what she’s getting herself into. She’s afraid of Spencer, hates him as much as I do. She doesn’t want to get anywhere near him, and yet here she is, willing to risk anything for me. I feel something deep and intense inside of me, pushing aside the anger, threatening to overflow.

“Why?” I ask her finally.

“Because of all this,” she says, smiling. “It’s always been about this, right? It’s not about us, Logan. I think that’s what you’ve shown me.”

I shake my head. “It’s about you to me too, Everly.”

“I know,” she says, smiling. She takes my hand and squeezes it again. “But you have to let me do this.”

“I can’t.”

“You can and you will. Because I’m going to make sure all of this happens. I’m going to make sure your dream of helping people comes true.”

Her smile is so beautiful and I don’t know what to say. Nobody has ever been so willing to do so much for me before, and it almost threatens to overwhelm me.

I pull her close against me and kiss her. I don’t know how to express how I feel in words, and so I hope she’ll understand. She kisses me back, a slow and deep kiss. It’s passionate and emotional, but not the kind of kiss that leads to something more.

We slowly break apart. She smiles up at me again and I kiss her softly on the lips one more time. “I don’t want you to go,” I say.

“I know. But you can keep me safe.”

“How?”

She grins at me. “Follow us. Obviously.”

I can’t help but laugh. “You want me to come on your date?”

“Of course. I mean, don’t let Spencer see you, but definitely come keep an eye on us.”

I laugh again and kiss her. “Okay,” I say. “I can do that.”

“Good.” She’s so fucking beautiful. “We’ll do it together.”

“Together,” I repeat.

We kiss one more time and I know this is the worst idea in the world. I hate even considering it. But if she’s determined, I doubt I can stop her, so at least I can follow along and make sure Spencer can’t hurt her.