The crash. The tension. The storm.Us.
She doesn’t say anything right away. Just looks at me, her body still half buried under the covers.
“Morning,” I say gently, trying to keep it light. “We were thinking of heading over to your place. The storm has mostly passed, and we can help clean up now, in the light of day.”
She sits up slowly, wincing as she stretches. Her eyes search the room, and I can see the strain of it all in her expression.
“Ugh, yeah, my parents’ house…” She shakes her head. “I should do it myself.”
I scoff. “Don’t be ridiculous. Wewantto help you.”
“But it’s a pain…”
“Come on,” Hayes agrees. “We’re here to help you, and you know we can. Don’t turn us down.”
She looks at him for a long moment, searching his face for something, maybe the reassurance that it’s okay to let go. I see her shoulders relax just a little, the tension that’s been choking her lifting. She takes his hand, and I feel my chest loosen.
“Alright,” Lo announces. “Let’s get it done.”
The three of us head out, leaving the house behind as we move toward hers. The sky’s clearing up, the first light breaking through the clouds, casting everything in a washed-out sheen.
When we get to Lo’s place, it’s still a mess. Water on the floors that are already warping from the damp, debris scattered in places, and carving small holes into the damp plaster of the walls, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. I see the look in her eyes when she steps inside, the way she stiffens. Everything is pressing down on her, and it’s all too much.
But we’re here, we’re going to make this okay. I’m utterly determined.
I make the first move, setting down the toolbox in the hallway.
“Let’s tackle the kitchen first, yeah?” I try to keep it casual, light. I want to give her space to breathe, but I can tell it’s still a struggle for her to face this mess.
“Okay, sure,” Lo agrees. “Sounds… good.”
“I’m going to check the outside of the building,” Hayes declares with a frown. “See where all the water got in.”
As we work, I find myself glancing at Lo more often than I should. I can’t take my damn eyes off her.
“Not bad, right?” I say, trying to break the tension with a light comment. “Once we dry this place out, it’ll be like nothing ever happened.”
Lo gives me a small, tired smile, but I can tell she’s still a thousand miles away. “Yeah, I hope so. Ireallydon’t want my parents to know I was here.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, I’m sure. But it’s a shame, this place really suits you,” I comment casually. “It’s got… character. Like you do.”
She chuckles. “I don’t know about that. It’s got a lot ofmemoriesfor me. Bad ones.”
“Which is why you left all those years ago, right?”
I know the story, mostly, but I still want to hear it from her point of view.
Lo’s fingers freeze as she wipes down the counter, and I can see the tension in her shoulders, the way she’s bracing herself for whatever comes next. For a moment, she doesn’t say anything.
Finally, she exhales a long breath, rubbing her thumb against the wood of the table as she tries to focus on something else. Anything else.
“Yeah,” she says quietly, almost to herself. “I couldn’t handle it anymore. My family, the mess they made… the way the whole town looked at me after everything came out. I thought if I just disappeared, maybe… I’d get away from all of it. From the judgment. From the whispers. From the way people only ever remembered my last name.”
I can’t help but lean in a little, my words softer now, matching the quiet tone she’s using. “You didn’t deserve that, Lo. None of it. You weren’t the one who messed up.”
Her eyes find mine, a flicker of something there, maybe surprise, or maybe just a recognition that I get it. She swallows hard before continuing.
“Maybe you think that, but the town…” She shakes her head. “Yeah, I still have to get out. Once this house is done.”
