LOGINMy cheeks were burning so hot I was sure they could light the hallway on their own, and every time someone gasped or snickered orāGod forbidāactually pulled out their phone to record, I pressed myself tighter against him, trying to disappear into the solid wall of his chest. The automatic doors hissed open ahead of us and the cold January air slapped me in the face like a wake-up call. Snow was still falling in lazy, fat flakes that caught in my hair and melted instantly against my flushed skin. The parking lot lights turned everything orange and stark, and he strode straight toward the black SUV waiting at the curb.The driver stood by the rear passenger door, expression professionally blank even though I could see the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth when he saw me draped over Gageās shoulder. He proceeded to open the door without a word.Gage didnāt set me down immediately.He ducked slightly, maneuvering us both into the backseat with the same easy strength heād used to c
We stayed like that for a long momentāhis hand on my face, my cheek pressed to his palm, breathing each otherās air in the narrow space between us. His thumb kept moving and I let myself lean into it harder, closing my eyes for just a second because looking at him hurt too much and not looking at him hurt worse. Eventually his thumb stilled and his hand slid down to cup the side of my neck, thumb resting against my pulse point. āWhat happened?ā he asked quietly, voice gentle. I opened my eyes, met his gaze, and felt the familiar twist of irritation flare up again. āYou should stop acting like someone hasnāt already filled you in,ā I said. āMrs. Harlanās nurse probably talked to you. The doctor probably talked to you. Even the security. Youāve probably got a full report typed up somewhere with bullet points and timestamps. So donāt pretend you donāt know.ā He didnāt speak nor pull away for some moments and just kept his hand on my neck, thumb still resting over my pulse, feeling
THEA -ĖĖ ą¼»āą¼ŗ ĖĖ- My cheek was pressed against the thin hospital pillow that smelled faintly of bleach and cheap laundry detergent, and for a second I couldnāt remember where I was. Then the steady beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor pulled me back, followed by the hiss of oxygen through the nasal cannula and the low murmur of nurses in the hallway outside. Mrs. Harlanās. I sat up too fast, head swimming, neck stiff from sleeping half-slumped in the ugly plastic chair beside her bed for who-knows-how-many hours. With my mouth tasting like old coffee, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, blinking until the room came into focus: pale blue walls, a single window with the blinds half-closed against the afternoon light, the IV stand dripping clear fluid into the back of her hand, the monitor showing numbers that had finally stabilized into something that looked almost normal. Mrs. Harlan was awake. Been awake since yesterday. I swallowed hard, and managed a small, shaky
Silence choked off whatever bullshit he was about to spit next. I just kept walking. Every step sent fresh spikes through my cracked ribs, my fucked-up shoulder, and the goddamn staples holding my scalp together. When I finally hit the bedroom door, I rammed it open with my good shoulder and staggered inside. Then I kicked the fucker shut hard enough that the latch snapped like a promise. The room was dim, curtains still drawn tight. I didnāt bother with the light. No way in hell did I want to catch my reflection in that mirror across from the bedādidnāt want to see the walking disaster of bandages, purple bruises, and dead-eyed exhaustion staring back. So I limped straight to the nightstand. My good hand shook like a junkieās as I fumbled the drawer open. Fingers finally closed around the orange bottle of oxycodone. Label worn to shit, corners peeling, but the pills inside still rattled like loose change. I shook two into my palm⦠paused⦠then shook out a third. Fuck it. I neede
Lex exhaled through his nose. āWow.āOne word. That was all he managed at first.While Ellis on the other hand just blinked.Then he rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting between me and Lex like he was waiting for one of us to say it was a joke. When neither of us did, he dropped his head and sighed, āBro⦠I know I say all sorts of things about women but the little I know of Thea, she doesnāt seem like the type who would just⦠leave a relationship like that and then go fucking your dad to get back at you? Thatās not her.āI couldnāt help but laugh.āSo you think Iām lying?āāI never saiā¦āāAnd what do you even think you know about her, Ellis?ā I cut him off. Silence.I took another drag then crushed the roach into the ashtray until it was pulp.āIām taking her back,ā I said quietly.Lexās head snapped up.āIām not letting him take her from me.āHe exhaled slowly. āNoahā¦āāIām not asking for permission,ā I cut in. āIām telling you because sheās mine. Sheās always been mine. He d
NOAH āāæā The smoke curled thick and lazy from the joint between my fingers, filling my living room with that heavy, skunky haze that always made everything feel a little slower, and a little less sharp. Lex had brought the good shitāsome sativa-leaning strain he swore was āclean as fuck, and just vibesāāand right now the vibes were the only thing keeping me from putting my fist through the goddamn wall. I took another long drag, held it until my lungs burned, then exhaled slowly through my nose. The cherry glowed bright in the dark room, casting dull blinking light across the coffee table that littered with empty beer bottles, an ashtray overflowing with butts, and the half-eaten pizza box someone had ordered at three in the morning. Lex was sprawled on the sectional with his legs kicked up on the ottoman, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened while Ellis sat cross-legged on the floor, back against the couch, picking at the label on his beer bottle. Theyād sh







