Islip out of bed while Sophia continues to sleep, careful not to jostle her. My heart thunders like the storm raging outside, the remnants of my nightmare clouding the peace I’d felt only hours before.
I was a fool to think her presence would be enough to chase away the smoke, the pain, even for as long as she had.
The guilt and agony always come back, no matter how hard I try to fight it.
Closing myself in the bathroom, I hesitate to turn the light on, to take in the scars that’ll stay with me the rest of my life. Remnants of a life I loved, one I can’t return to. Reminders of a brother I failed to save, no matter how hard I tried. I was ready to give my life for him, prepared to go down in theflames.
Bile rises in my throat, so I steady my breathing and practice the calming techniques I’d been taught in therapy. My breath catches in my throat, and I hold it for as long as I can before releasing it slowly.
A soft knock at the door draws me out of the panic; I barely look up, drawing in another long breath as it creaks open, only releasing that breath when Sophia wraps her arms around me and hugs me from behind.
Neither of us say anything, though I don’t think we have to. Somehow, she’s come to know me better and better, and I don’t know if that should excite me—or terrify me.
Maybe it’s the sign I need to tell her how I feel. Because there’s no excusing the safety and comfort she offers me now. No way to talk away the calm she somehow manages to bring me.
Just like the moment I opened my eyes for the first time in that hospital room and I saw her beside me, now I fall deeper in love with her. She’s my angel.
My saviour.
Sophia groansas she hangs the final flannel in the closet. “How many of these do you have?”
I chuckle and fold my old station workout shirt,adding it to the pile of clothing she’s been wearing the last couple of days. I used to hide them in the back of the closet. Never able to throw them away, but too scared to forget what I left behind. They were a reminder I both wanted to escape and to keep close.
Just like my old turnout coat still in the coat closet, hidden behind my snow jacket. I remember the day Cap handed it over to me. Said no one else would ever wear it.
“Didn’t you know?” I ask, tossing a pair of boxers on the bed. “That’s basic uniform for those of us living up here.”
Sophia rolls her dark eyes with a laugh, crossing her arms. “Funny.” She takes a pair of thick socks and joins them. “I swear, you own more than a cowboy.”
“And how would you know that?” I ask, a little teasing, though I can’t help the small flare of jealousy.
Again, my angel rolls her eyes. “Because I’m not blind. Don’t get all caveman on me.”
I drop the boxers and round the bed to pull her into my arms. The bruises are still there, but they aren’t nearly as dark or as swollen as they were when I pulled her out of the wreck. Another week, and she’ll be completely healed.
It has me wondering what it will be like after the storm passes and we can get down the mountain. It’sone thing being trapped together because of the snow, another to explore what might be between us without the forced proximity.
Once the weather clears, will she still want me?
Once she can leave, will there be a way for us to make this work?
Sophia leans up onto her tiptoes, and like a magnet drawn to her, I lower my face until our lips meet.
The kiss is slow at first. Teasing. There’s no hesitation between us, nothing to indicate she might not be as into this as I am.
Her hands inch up my chest to wind around my neck, deepening the kiss. All I want is to feel her again, to know she’s real and here, but dread pools in the pit of my stomach at the sound of static.
Sophia pulls away first, brows drawn in a frown. “What was that?” she asks, but the static cuts off.
My heart races as I look towards the set of drawers by the closet. I’d completely forgotten about the satphone. Our one means of communication.
“I think it’s—” Before I can finish, the static fills the room again, this time louder. Through it, I think I hear a voice.
A voice that sounds an awful lot like her brother.
Something shifts in Sophia’s eyes as she pulls completely away and goes to her knees. Before I canstop her, she fumbles and reaches beneath the dresser.
I’m frozen in place at the end of the bed, heart hammering in my chest, every thought and possible explanation fleeing my brain.
