“What are you saying?” I force the words out.
She sucks in a shaky breath. “I’m saying this isn’t temporary for me.”
The entire shop shifts back into place. Air comes back. Gravity evens out.
I reach for her, but before I can touch her, the camera beeps.
She startles. “Oh, shit!”
My heart pounds. “It’s running? This is going out live?”
Her blue eyes are panicked. “Yes! Oh, God. I’m sorry. I was setting up… I didn’t mean to?—”
Her phone pings, and her expression turns to horror as she pulls it from her jeans pocket. “Oh no.”
I stare. “What?”
She turns the screen toward me.
CrankshaftQueen:I’m crying in carburetors. That man deserves the whole damn world.
carbutt69:bravest man I’ve ever known.
GarageDaddy99:I KNEW HE WAS GONNA REARRANGE HER ENGINE
ToolTimeTina:THE TENSION!!! GET IT GIRL
ExhaustedButLoyal:Nolan West, you absolute legend. You’re not just Garage Daddy. You’re Soulmate Supreme.
FanbeltFury:Team Nolan! This man is the definition of strength with heart.
OilpanOracle:His ex lost a damn treasure. Sally better keep him. And post the wedding vid.
I know I should be angry… but I’m not.
I should care that half the internet just watched me bare my deepest scars, live and unfiltered. I should feel exposed. But instead… I feel seen.
Not just by Sally, but by all of them. Strangers who somehow understand what it took to say those words. Who didn’t turn away.
Sally watches me, bracing for my reaction, guilt written all over her face. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want to be filmed, but it was an accident and, oh, my god, now they know?—”
I press a finger gently to her lips and face the camera. “Sorry, folks. Next part’s private.” Then I flick it off.
I turn back to Sally and cup her face in both hands.
“No audience,” I murmur. “No edits. Just you and me. And the truth.”
“You’re not angry?” she asks hesitantly.
“A little embarrassed, maybe,” I admit. “But angry? No. I’ve spent too long hiding. From pain. From people. From the kind of life I didn’t think I was allowed anymore.”
I stoke my thumb over her cheek. “Then you showed up.”
I step closer until her warmth fills all the cold spaces I used to carry. “You didn’t fix me. You reminded me that I was never broken. And no one’s ever done that.”
She bites her lip, and her eyes shine with tears.
“I love your generosity. Your heart. Your fearlessness. The way you throw your whole self into everything, even when you’re terrified. I love that you see people. I love the way you saw me, even when I didn’t want to be seen.”
