He nodded.

“I should have come home sooner.”

“Yes, Julian. You should have.”

There was no need to soften that sentence.

I had softened enough things in my life because I feared what would happen if someone felt uncomfortable.

He hugged me.

This hug did not carry the surprise of the first one.

It was familiar enough that I could let go when it ended, rather than keeping my hands locked around him for another second.