CHAPTER 5

ELI

By the time I got to the hospital, I was already drenched.

I had been running before the rain started, but it came down so fast. My clothes stuck to my body. My hair was dripping. I didn’t even feel cold. Not at first. Just scared.

“Eli Rivera?” a nurse asked as I rushed through the doors.

“Yes,” I said, panting. “You called me. My—my mom—”

“Calm down,” she said. “Come with me.”

I followed her down the hall, my sneakers squeaking against the floor.

She stopped outside a waiting area. “She’s stable now, but she had a cardiac episode earlier. It was serious. For a moment… we thought…”

She didn’t finish.

I sat down hard.

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

My heart was pounding too fast. My whole chest felt like it was folding in.

I reached for my phone, fingers slippery and trembling. I found my sister’s name and hit call.

She picked up after two rings.

“Eli?” she said. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I’m at the hospital,” I said, voice cracking. “It’s mom. She almost died.”

There was silence on the other end. Then her voice turned serious.

“What happened?”

“They said cardiac arrest or something,” I said, rubbing my face. “I don’t know. She’s stable now, but—I ran here. I—I didn’t know what to do.”

“Eli,” she said gently. “Breathe.”

I tried.

Her voice softened. “I’m not in town. You know that.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But I didn’t know who else to call.”

“I’m glad you did,” she said. “Listen to me. Mom is strong. She’s pulled through worse, remember?”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah.”

“She’s stable now,” she repeated. “That’s what matters. You need to stay calm.”

“I—I’m so cold,” I mumbled.

“You’re wet, aren’t you?” she said. “You ran in the rain like a crazy person?”

“I didn’t have time to think.”

She laughed softly. “You never do.”

I smiled faintly.

“I’m coming next week,” she said. “You’re not alone, okay? But you need to rest. You can’t take care of anyone if you collapse.”

“Okay.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“Good.” She exhaled. “I love you. Try to warm up. Dry clothes. Hot tea. Call me after they give you an update.”

“Okay. Love you too.”

We ended the call, and I just sat there.

A few minutes later, the doctor came out.

“Mr. Rivera?”

I stood up fast. “Yes?”

“She’s stable,” he said. “Still weak, but she’s conscious. We’ll monitor her overnight.”

“Can I see her?”

“Not right now. She’s resting. But tomorrow, yes.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“You should go home,” he said. “Change. Eat something. You look like you’re about to fall over.”

I laughed weakly. “I feel like it.”

He patted my shoulder. “Go. She’s in good hands.”

I thanked him and left the hospital. It was still drizzling outside. I didn’t even bother with a cab. Just walked.

By the time I got home, I was shivering.

My fingers fumbled with the keys. I pushed the door open, kicked off my shoes, and headed straight to the bathroom. My clothes felt like ice. I pulled off the hoodie, then peeled off my soaked T-shirt. Goosebumps were all over my arms.

I unbuttoned my jeans, still shaking. I just wanted to get into dry clothes. Maybe wrap up in a blanket. Maybe cry a little more.

Then—

Knock knock.

I froze.

What?

Another knock.

I pulled my jeans halfway up and stumbled to the door, shirtless and confused.

I opened it slowly.

And stared.

Carter.

Standing in the hallway. Slightly damp. Hands in his coat pockets. That same unreadable expression on his face.

I blinked hard. “What the hell?”

I stared at him like he wasn’t real.

Carter Vale.

At my door.

In the rain.

He looked calm, as usual. Drenched but composed. His dark coat clung to his broad shoulders. His hair was damp, slicked back. He looked like he walked out of a noir film. Or maybe straight out of my stress dreams.

I cleared my throat. “Uh… you wanna come in?”

He didn’t say anything. Just nodded once and stepped inside.

I closed the door behind him, locking it quietly.

The air was tense. Too quiet. The sound of dripping rain off our clothes filled the room.

I turned to him. “What are you doing here? How do you even know my place?”

He looked around like he was memorizing the space. Then back at me. “I dropped Liam here months ago. I remembered the apartment.”

I blinked. “You remembered… my apartment?”

He nodded again.

Okay.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “You’re kinda wet.”

“So are you.”

“Yeah, I was out,” I mumbled. “Rain caught me halfway.”

He didn’t ask where I went.

I didn’t offer it.

“You want something?” I asked awkwardly. “Like… tea? Or coffee? You’re gonna catch a cold standing there like a statue.”

He didn’t move. Then slowly unbuttoned his coat, shrugged it off, and draped it over the back of the nearest chair. His white shirt underneath was slightly damp too, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked like he belonged in some expensive black-and-white film.

“I’ll take tea,” he said finally.

I blinked again. “Okay. Sure.”

I moved to the kitchen, boiled some water, pulled out the one mug in my cupboard that didn’t have a chipped handle, and tried to act normal. Whatever normal meant when your cold, intimidating ex’s brother showed up in your apartment at night.

I poured the tea, handed it to him. He took it carefully.

“Thanks,” he said.

I sat down on the arm of my couch, drying my hair with a towel.

A beat passed.

“Why are you here, Carter?”

He looked at me.

Dead in the eye.

“Why didn’t you tell me you and Liam broke up?”

I folded the towel. “I tried in class. You didn’t let me speak. Remember? You cut me off and said I don’t get special treatment just because I’m screwing your brother.”

He blinked slowly. “Right.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So… what? You just came here to remind me of that?”

“No,” he said quietly. “I came to say… for that, I apologize.”

I froze.

Just… sat there.

Blank.

Did this man just—

I stared at him.

For five whole seconds.

“What?” I asked. “As how?”

He didn’t flinch. “I’m aware I was… unnecessarily harsh.”

My brain glitched.

“You apologized.”

“I did.”

I stared harder. “You don’t strike me as someone who does that often.”

“I don’t.”

I shook my head slowly. “Okay. Now I’m convinced I have a fever.”

He tilted his head. “Why?”

“Because you’re apologizing. In my living room. With tea. And you actually sound sincere. Which is terrifying.”

His lips twitched. Not quite a smile. But something close.

“I’m not here to cause problems,” he said.

“Then why are you here?” I asked again.

He didn’t answer me.

Just kept sipping his tea, staring at me like he was studying every breath I took.

The silence started crawling over my skin.

I stood up quickly, trying to clear my head. “I should, uh—I should change. I’m still soaked.”

I turned toward my room.

But my foot caught the towel.

One second I was standing.

The next—I was falling.

Straight onto Carter.

Not just onto him.

Onto his lap.

Hard.

Chest to chest. My hand gripped his shoulder. My thigh pressed right between his legs.

And I felt it.

I felt everything.

He was hard.

I gasped.

My eyes went wide.

His hand moved to my waist without hesitation.

Holding me there.

I looked up at him, stunned, completely frozen.

His face didn’t change. But his voice dropped lower than I’d ever heard it.

“If you wanted to sit on it,” he said, tone calm as sin, “you could’ve just asked.”