LOGINLexi Hart. My actual best friend.
She's standing right there with white wine all over her pink mini dress.That same wide-eyed shock on her face, and then she was breaking into the biggest grin."SCARLETT?!""LEXI?!"There were pure disbelief and joy and shock, everything all mixed together."Oh my god, what are you doing here?!""What are YOU doing here?!"We both laughed at the exact same moment, that instant reconnectiWe sat there for a while, not talking, just existing. Miles pulled out the sandwiches he'd made turkey and cheese on good bread, with actual lettuce and tomato and mustard, and we ate lunch with our feet dangling over the stream, the sun warm on our faces despite the cold air."Thank you for bringing me here," I said after we'd finished eating. "All of this. It feels like something I was always going to love, but I've never known. It's really special, Miles."He turned to look at me, and there was something soft in his expression. "I wanted to share it with you. These are the places that matter to me, you know? The places I come back to in my head when things get complicated. And I wanted you to see them, to understand why they matter.""I do understand.""Yeah?" He reached over and took my hand, lacing our fingers together. "Because I feel like maybe you're starting to get me. Like you're seeing past the surface stuff to what's actually underneath."I squeezed his hand, unable to spe
I woke to sunlight streaming through the small loft window and the smell of coffee drifting up from below.For a disoriented moment, I couldn't figure out where the fuck I was. The ceiling was too close, the bed was too narrow, and the sounds were all wrong. Then it came back in a rush.I grabbed my phone to check the time and remembered there was no service. The screen showed 8:23 AM, which felt too early and too late at the same time. My head was slightly fuzzy from the whiskey but not bad—I'd definitely had worse hangovers.I climbed down the ladder carefully, still in my pajamas, soft sleep shorts and an oversized t-shirt, and I found Miles in the kitchen area, wearing sweatpants and a thermal shirt, his hair sticking up in about fourteen directions, standing in front of the propane stove with a spatula in hand.He looked over when he heard me descend and smiled, and fuck, he was one of those people who looked good in the morning. It should have been illegal."Morning," he said ch
"It's... messy. We're working through it. Or we're supposed to be working through it. I don't know." I took another drink, I really need that courage only liquid can give. "But being here, away from all that, it helps. You help."It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't entirely a lie either.Miles was quiet for a moment, processing. Then: "Does he hurt you? Physically, I mean?""What? No. God no. It's nothing like that." I rushed to clarify, horrified that he might think—"Eww...no no no. Did I sound like that?.""Did I sound like... like that's what it is?""Not really. You didn't sound like it's one thing in particular. I was guessing.""It's not that. Not at all.""Okay. Good." He looked relieved. "I just needed to make sure. Because if someone was—""No one's hurting me, Miles. I promise.""Okay. Good." He picked up his whiskey again, swirling it in the glass. "You know, my cousin went through something similar with his stepsister. They fought constantly when they were teenagers,
After dinner, Miles poured us a generous measure of the whiskey that according to him, he'd stolen from his dad's collection, and we settled on the floor in front of the fireplace, with our backs against the couch, our shoulders touching, and the fire crackling and warm just a few feet away.The whiskey was smooth, expensive, and it was the kind that burned pleasantly going down and left something like a warm trail in your chest.I sipped it slowly, feeling it combine with the beer I'd had at dinner to create this pleasant buzz that made everything feel softer, easier.Outside, the darkness was complete. No streetlights, no neighboring houses, no ambient glow from the city. Just the vast, endless dark of the wilderness, broken only by the light spilling from the cabin windows. Through the glass, I could see nothing but blackness and the occasional reflection of the fire behind us."This is surreal," I said quietly. "I don't think I've ever been somewhere this remote.""It takes some g
No service," I said, stating the obvious."Told you. We're officially off the grid." He didn't seem bothered by it, if anything, he seemed pleased it's like it's just a day doing something normal to him. "The cabin has a landline for emergencies, but that's it. No internet, no cell service, no distractions. Just us and nature.""And whiskey.""And whiskey," he agreed, smiling.The roads got progressively more remote, paved highway giving way to smaller roads, then to roads that were barely more than gravel paths winding through the trees. We hadn't seen another car in at least twenty minutes, and the forest pressed in on both sides, thick and dark and endless.Finally, Miles turned onto a nearly invisible dirt road, barely more than two tire tracks through the undergrowth, and we bumped along for what felt like forever but was probably only five minutes before a cabin appeared through the trees.It was smaller than I'd pictured, but somehow more charming. It was a single-story wooden
The day was brighter than usual for mid-November, the kind of crisp Friday afternoon where the sun felt warm despite the cold air, where everything looked sharper somehow, more vivid. I stood in my driveway at 3:15 PM, my overnight bag was at my feet, and my jacket was zipped up against the chill, watching for Miles's car and trying to calm the fucking butterflies in my stomach.It's a camping trip. Two nights in a remote cabin with him, Miles and whatever happened between us.I'd packed last night. I took practical clothes, warm layers, the good hiking boots I'd bought after our first trail adventure. Toiletries, a book I probably wouldn't read but it's just here because it should, the plush turtle from the arcade that had somehow become a talisman. My phone charger, and extra socks because he'd emphasized how important dry feet were when camping.The week had passed in a blur of anticipation and dread. I'd seen Jax exactly twice. Once at breakfast on Tuesday when we'd maintained our
The gates opened automatically as I pulled up to them and the long driveway stretched ahead lit with landscape lights.The house was glowing warm in the evening dark and his car was there in the driveway, and my heart had already jumped at seeing it. I parked my car next to his
"Morning," he said finally, with his voice very casual and normal like we were step-siblings, which is pretty much normal."Morning," I replied, and my voice came out steadier than I expected, almost normal except for the slight breathlessness that I hoped he couldn't hear.He t
"Now get out."The words hit me cold like ice water, very dismissive.I blinked up at him from his bed, still trying to process what he'd just said."What?""You heard me."He stepped back, putting distance between us, between his body and mine, and pe
More than two hours passed very quickly and I didn't even noticed until Vera checked her phone."Oh my god, it's almost eleven."Alex looked surprised. "Already?""Time flies when you're enjoying an event," Lexi said, and everyone laughed.The ballroom was still alive but different now, the energy







