I expect her to step away.
To reclaim her space.
Instead, she stays.
She looks at her now-free wrist. Then she looks at me.
The physical distance between us—those ten inches of air—suddenly feels like a cold abyss.
I reach out and take her fingers, lacing them with mine. Skin on skin.
“Don’t even think about running,” I whisper.
“Never,” she says—and my heart does a little victory lap.
Tina throws her arms wide.
“All right! Let’s tally the results! Tiffany and Brent withdrew at three in the morning (amateurs!), so—fifty Heart Points deducted for them!”
A murmur of approval.
“And for all you heroes who survived twenty-four hours without killing each other… plus fifty Heart Points!”
Tired applause.
Then Tina turns to me, pointing at my bare torso for the camera.
“And finally… I’m awarding +20 Extra Hot Points to the Captains.”
“For what?” Joe snaps.
“For public service!” Tina shouts. “For gifting us the sight of Becker without a shirt—and for those scratch marks on his back, undeniable proof that passion here in Elm Hollow is alive and well!”
Sloane blushes hard, hiding her face against my bare shoulder.
“Put a shirt on, Becker,” she whispers, laughing. “Everyone’s drooling.”
I pull her close, possessive, unconcerned with cameras or stares.
“Let them look,” I reply, kissing her messy hair.
WhatsApp Group: LAKEWOOD LOCKER ROOM ???? (Minus One)
Turbo (Tayler):?? CLACK. Free at last!
Turbo (Tayler):Although, judging by your HD close-up on the jumbotron, you would’ve preferred to throw away the key.
Blaze (Liam):Can confirm. I’ve never seen a man so devastated to be unchained from a woman. You looked like a kicked puppy whose bone got taken away.
The Wall (Derek):Coach update: coach’s Heart stopped chewing. He held a slice of pizza in his cheek for a full two minutes like an enraged hamster.
Doc (Harrison):Let’s talk physiology. The blood that returned to your wrist… or did it all rush somewhere else? Because that walk to the exit was suspicious, Becker. Very stiff.
Saint (Javier):Leave him alone. He kept it together. More or less.
Turbo (Tayler):“More or less”? Javi, his hands were shaking! I swear he was two seconds away from begging her to take him home as a wrist accessory.
Blaze (Liam):Technical question, though: did you pocket them? Those handcuffs were screaming “after-dinner souvenir.”
