Then I heard it. A voice cutting through the underwater fog in my brain.
“Come here, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
Those words. I knew those words. I’d heard them before, in the dark, in the quiet, when I’d needed them most.
Strong arms scooped me up. I was pulled into a lap that felt solid. Safe. I turned my face into a chest that smelled like laundry detergent, something woodsy, and him.
My fingers fisted in his shirt and I clung to him like he was the only thing keeping me from drowning. Maybe he was. My body knew him even when my brain couldn’t process anything else.
“I’ve got you.” The vibration of his voice rumbled against my ear, deep and grounding. One of his hands rubbed slow circles on my back while the other cradled my head, protecting me from the world. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
I tried to speak but all that came out was a broken sob. He held me tighter, his arms a vice around me.
“Just breathe, sweetheart.”
I did, somehow managing to match my rhythm to his until I felt myself coming back into my own body, my own mind.
Time had stopped meaning anything. I didn’t know how long we’d been on that bathroom floor. All I knew was his arms around me, the steady beat of his heart under my palm, anchoring me to something real.
“Let’s get you up, alright?” His voice was gentle, careful.
I managed a small nod against his chest.
He shifted, his arms adjusting to support my weight as he stood, taking me with him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let my head fall to his shoulder as he carried me from the bathroom.
“Mia, can you get the lights in the living room?”
I heard Mia’s soft agreement followed by the sound of her footsteps moving away.
Shadows swallowed the living room when Cam carried me in. The darkness felt like a blanket as he sat with me on the sectional. I curled into him, sighing softly when he stroked his fingers through my hair.
We sat there in the quiet, my breathing gradually evening out. The tears had stopped but left me feeling wrung out, hollow, like something essential had been scooped out of me and nothing remained to fill the space.
His hand moved in slow, steady strokes up and down my spine. The rhythm of it was hypnotic, soothing. Gradually, my muscles started to unclench, the violent shaking in my limbs easing to occasional tremors.
“You came,” I whispered finally, my voice raw and broken.
“You needed me.” His lips pressed against my hair and he wrapped his arms around me. “Of course I came.”
“I’m sorry.” The words were barely audible.
“Don’t.” His arms tightened fractionally. “Don’t apologize. Not for this.”
I was exhausted. So bone-deep tired I could barely keep my eyes open. But I didn’t want to move, didn’t want to lose thisfeeling of being held together by someone who knew exactly how broken I was and hadn’t run.
“Rest,” he said softly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
So I did. I let my eyes close and my body go heavy against his, trusting him to keep holding me while I floated in the dark, empty space where all my defenses used to be.
CAM
Emily’s breathing had finally evened out, her body heavy against mine. The adrenaline had drained out of her completely, leaving nothing but total exhaustion in its wake.
The living room was still dark, just the faint glow from the hallway spilling across the floor, and I kept my hand moving in slow strokes up and down her back.
Mia appeared with two glasses of water, setting them on the coffee table without a word. Her eyes met mine over Emily’s head, a silent question passing between us.
I gave her a small shrug. Was Emily okay? I didn’t know yet.
