Logan drives like he’s memorized every part of me that flinches.
No sudden turns. No surprise detours. No “trust me” cliff edges. Just steady hands on the wheel and a route that keeps the world quiet—side streets instead of highways, long stretches of sunshine instead of stop-and-go chaos.
My iced vanilla latte sits in the cup holder like proof that this day is real.
He doesn’t talk over the music. He lets it play low, something soft and familiar, like he picked it because it wouldn’t demand anything from me. And every time I catch him glancing over, it’s quick. Not checking. Not hovering.
Just…there.
Like he’s proud I’m here.
I rest my elbow on the window ledge and watch the town slide past—stucco buildings, a mural of a basketball player mid-jump shot, palm trees that sway like they don’t have a single problem in the world.
My chest tightens anyway.
Because when you’ve been living in survival mode, peace feels suspicious.
Logan reaches over and taps the back of my hand with two fingers, gentle. “Hey.”
I blink, pulling myself back. “What?”
“You went somewhere,” he says.
“I’m sitting right here.”
His mouth twitches. “Your body is, but your brain’s far away.”
I snort, but he’s not wrong.
He takes my hand for real this time—slides his fingers between mine, right there over the center console like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Like he’s been doing it forever.
And I let him.
I hate how much it helps.
“Better?” he asks.
I squeeze his hand back. “Maybe.”
Logan’s thumb brushes my knuckles, slow. “Good.”
We pull into a small parking lot beside a familiar little strip of shops, the kind of place I’ve gone a hundred times when I needed air and didn’t want to admit it.
My stomach flips. “Wait.”
Logan’s grin is soft around the edges. “Recognize it?”
“The bookstore?” I say, already feeling the warmth bloom under my skin.
“Mm-hmm.” He unbuckles and leans over to press a quick kiss to my forehead—like it’s nothing, like it’s everything. “First stop.”
The kiss is so simple I almost don’t know what to do with it.
Almost.
I tilt my face up, catching the corner of his mouth with mine before he can pull back.
Logan freezes for a second, surprised—then his smile turns slow and stupidly pleased.
