Serving her always brought me back to myself.
I brushed her damp hair off her forehead and kissed it. “Come to bed,” I said softly. “Let me hold you tonight.”
We dried off, and I handed her an oversized shirt to wear before tucking her into my bed, grateful she didn’t put up an argument about having to go. I slid in beside her, and we lay in bed, the lights low, her body tucked against mine. She faced me, her breath soft, her skin still damp from the shower. A rogue strand of hair had fallen over her cheek, curling slightly from the steam.
I reached out and gently tucked it behind her ear, letting my knuckles brush the curve of her jaw.
She smiled faintly, eyes half-lidded. “I should’ve blow-dried it before bed,” she murmured. “I’m gonna wake up looking like a frizzy, humidified disaster.”
I didn’t laugh. Instead, I looked at her.
“Do you feel it?”
She blinked once, the smile slipping from her lips.
She didn’t answer with words. She simply nodded.
My throat tightened. The air shifted between us. It was full of the things we hadn’t said yet. The ones we always danced around when the lights were on and the world was loud.
“I miss him, too,” I said softly. “I miss the way it felt when it was the three of us. How natural it was. How he kept the pulse steady when we couldn’t.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“We need to know whatthisis. We need to create a foundation if we’re going to do this together.”
She blinked. “Dirks . . . ”
“I want to try,” I said. “Really try. Date you. Take our time. Build something stable. And if it still feels like we’re missing something... ”
Her throat bobbed, but she didn’t look away.
“Then we talk about finding him. Together.”
“What if he doesn’t want to come back?”
“Then we walk away knowing we tried our best.”
She was quiet for a long time.
“Okay. That feels right... but there are things I can’t talk to you about.”
I stayed still. I didn’t press.
“And don’t ask me,” she said firmly. “Don’t bring up Austin. I don’t want to know anything about where he is. Don’t talk to me about their family. That’s not our story, and Nova’s isn’t mine to tell either.” Her voice trembled. “We can talk about it... later, once we figure out what this is, because I’m here forus.For rebuildingthis.That’s all I want to focus on.”
I nodded once. “Yeah. I like that.”
She exhaled like she’d been holding her breath for years. She curled closer, letting her forehead rest against mine.
“I just don’t want to lose you again,” she said.
“You won’t.”
I didn’t want to lose her either.
14
luna
