My stomach drops. “Jesus…Elijah, I’m so fucking sorry.” I shake my head. I remember now. The look he gave me from across the ice. How hopeless he would’ve felt seeing me slip through. I can’t even begin to imagine what I would’ve felt if the roles were reversed.
“Dude, youfell through the ice.”His eyes widen, making me burst out a light-hearted chuckle.
Another sting to my ribs makes me wince, stopping my outburst. “Ow, don’t make me laugh. It hurts. Why does it hurt?” I ask, rubbing my soreness.
Elijah runs his fingers softly over the sore area. “Bastard cracked a rib during your fight. They said it should heal fine on its own but you’re going to need some rest.” His eyebrows pinch together as his hand continues to rub.
Tilting my head, I lift his chin towards me. “What is it?”
Elijah’s mouth drops open and shut. I see a bunch of thoughts roaming through his head and I’m dying to hear them. But, I wait patiently. Clearly, I’ve got all day.
“T, that wasreallyfucking scary. What if I wasn’t there to find you?”
Warmth spreads through my chest. “But youwere.” I smile, drifting my hand down his face. “I knew you’d find me.”
Elijah snags my hand, squeezing it harshly. “Seriously, though. He had a gun. He could’ve really…” His eyes pinch shut as his breathing deepens. “He tried to take you away from me…” I can feel his body tense.
I sit up as best I can and wrap an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. “Hey, hey. Everything’s okay. We’re okay.” I pull his hand to my chest. “You feel that?”
He lowers his forehead against mine and slowly nods.
“My heart is beating.” I take a big deep breath, moving his hand flat against my pec. “My lungs are taking in air.” I softly drift his hand up to my throat, to my lips. “I’malive, E. I’m not going anywhere.” I kiss his fingers gently.
His breathing starts to level out as a small smile crosses his lips. “God. I don’t even think you wanna know what I felt when I thought you were gone.”
“I think I have an idea.” I frown, remembering what it was like being alone in that cold cellar. Alone. In the darkness. Unsure if I was ever going to see his face again. “Losing you is a terrifying feeling…you’re my person, E.” I confess.
Elijah cups my jaw, bringing his lips to mine. My heart skips at the sweetness of his tongue. I’ve missed this—his taste, his scent, his warmth. It’s all-consuming, something I’ve needed so badly. He tilts his head, letting me thread my fingers through his hair and trail my hand down his neck.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again. I’ll seriously bring you back just to kill you myself.” He pants before going in for another kiss.
I smile against his lips. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Elijah pulls back, concern etched deep in his eyes. “I’m serious, T. Maybe it’s unhealthy or not normal or whatever—but I can’t live without you.” His breath stutters, eyes pleading with mine. The weight of his words hits me, and tears threaten again. “Ineedyou,okay? Ireally fuckingneed you here.” He gives me a gentle shake before pulling me into his arms.
His body shivers on mine as I squeeze him tight. “I need you too.”
***
After holding each other for a long while, Elijah fills me in on the events of what has happened in the past seventy-four hours, starting with how they found me at the lake house all the way to how they rescued me.
Apparently, after I sank into the water and the initial cold shock passed, my body had tensed just enough to let me float back to the surface. Thankfully, because the first responders were already there, rescue was almost instantaneous. Firefighters who were there ready were able to crawl to the edge, wrap me in rope and pull me out.
Elijah, understandably in a state of shock, didn’t see any of this since he was in the ambulance. I hugged him extra tight when he told me that part.
I let him continue as he tells me about all my ailments. My cracked ribs, my acute concussion, and most importantly, my close-call with hypothermia.
Being exposed in the cold for that long really did a number on me. But nothing like it did to Derrick.
Which brought us to the kicker.
Derrick.
Being the one who fell in the water first, he was harder to find than I was. They had to go in and search for him, only being able to find himafterI had already been rescued. Because of the alcoholin his system, his core temperature actually decreased quicker, which increased the risk of hypothermia. By the time they got him out, his heart had already slipped into cardiac arrest.
He was gone before they even arrived at the hospital.
My breath hitches as Elijah tells me this.
