My heart did something deeply inconvenient and tripped over itself.“Hey,” I replied.
My mom stood.“I’m grabbing coffee.Don’t let her bully you.”
“I heard that,” I said.
She smiled anyway and slipped out, leaving the door cracked behind her.
Cole stayed where he was near the door, not crowding and not retreating.
“How are you feeling?”he asked.
“Like everyone wants to bubble-wrap me.”
A corner of his mouth lifted.“They’re worried.”
“So are you.”
He didn’t deny it.“Yeah.”
The honesty startled me.
“They still haven’t found them,” I said.
“No,” he admitted.“But we’re close.”
We.
That word sat heavier than it should have.
I shifted, and pain flared sharp enough to steal my breath.
Cole moved instantly.
Not fast.Not frantic.
Just there.
“Easy,” he said, voice low.
I tried to wave it off and failed.My hand shook, useless.“I’m fine,” I lied.
He hesitated.Then he reached out.Not to pull me close or hover, just to steady my forearm while I adjusted the pillow behind my back.
His hand was warm.Solid.
The contact was brief.
My breath caught anyway.
He pulled back immediately, his jaw tight, as his eyes flicked to my face like he was checking for damage he hadn’t meant to cause.
“You okay?”he asked.
“Yes,” I said, and this time, it was true.
The room felt different after that.Charged.Aware.
“You don’t have to be here,” I said.“I’m safe in the hospital.”
