Phil mumbles something unintelligible and turns an even brighter shade of red.
I would laugh if my body weren’t held together by exhaustion. “I’m okay,” I tell her quietly. “Really.”
She exhales hard, the kind of breath that shakes loose all the fear she must have been carrying. “Don’t do that again. My nerves aren’t built for this level of drama.”
I open my mouth to apologise, but she’s already rummaging in her tote bag. She pulls out a navy hoodie and a pair of yoga pants and hands them over.
“I brought you these,” she says gently. “I thought you might need warm, dry clothes.”
The relief is so sharp it almost makes me dizzy. I take the bundle from her and mumble a grateful, slightly wobbly “Thank you,” before shuffling off to the toilet to change.
Inside the little cubicle, I peel off Alex’s clingy T-shirt, cheeks burning even though nobody can see me. The yoga pants and hoodie feel like heaven. Soft. Warm. Safe. By the time I emerge, I look marginally less like a damp woodland creature.
Christina’s waiting, arms folded, pretending she’s not hovering. Phil’s standing beside her, fidgeting with his car keys. And Alex… he watches me with that quiet, steady certainty that has become dangerously intoxicating.
We make our way to the car park. Phil opens the passenger door for me, but before I can climb in, Alex stops me.
“I’m sitting in the back with Emma.”
It’s not commanding. Just firm. Protective in a way that wraps around me like another layer of warmth. Christina raises an eyebrow but doesn’t argue. Phil shrugs.
I slide into the back seat, and Alex follows immediately, settling beside me and pulling me gently into his arms. His body is warm, and the steady rise and fall of his chest works better than any medicine. Rain patters against the windows as we set off back to Fellside.
In the front seat, Christina starts teasing Phil about his driving, his panicked phone call, and the fact he apparently stalledthe car twice before managing to get out of the flower shop’s car park. Phil splutters, mortified, which only encourages her further.
I rest my head on Alex’s shoulder, the vibration of his quiet laugh against my cheek grounding me in the sweetest way.
When we reach my cottage, Phil pulls up outside the black door. The car barely rolls to a stop before the words slip out of me.
“Will you stay with me?” My voice is soft, but it’s steady. Sure. I look at Alex. “Please.”
He doesn’t even blink. “Yes.”
Christina twists around in her seat, eyes softening when she sees the look on my face. She hops out as soon as Phil cuts the engine and pulls me into a hug.
“I’ll check in on you tomorrow,” she murmurs against my shoulder. “Text me if you need anything. And no climbing hills, you absolute menace.”
I manage a small laugh. She squeezes once more, then releases me.
Alex takes my wet clothes from the boot without a comment. Phil gives an awkward little wave from the driver’s seat, still pink around the ears.
And then it’s just the two of us walking up to my cottage, rain misting lightly around us, his hand warm at my back.
Home feels different now.
It feels like somewhere I don’t have to face tonight alone.
The door clicks shut behind us, the faint scent of rain drifting in before the breeze dies. I barely have time to turn towards him before Alex steps forward and pulls me straight into his chest.
There’s no urgency in it. No heat. Just a full-body hold that feels like he’s anchoring himself as much as me. His arms wrap around my back, strong and certain, and I melt into him without thinking. The tension I’ve been carrying since the moment I realised I was lost finally begins to unclench.
He doesn’t speak at first. He just breathes me in, forehead pressed to the side of my head, his hands sliding up my spine like he’s making sure I’m really here.
When he finally whispers, his voice fractures at the edges.
“I was so scared.”
The words land low in my chest, heavy and tender. I tighten my arms around him and feel the shiver that runs through his body, the kind you only let someone see when the danger has passed.
