“Toby?”
“Hey.”
Rowen crosses the room in a few long strides, the bed dipping as he crawls onto it. I reach for him, feeling bare skin. Did he shower or something?
Rowen dips his nose into my hair, inhaling deeply. His body trembles, either from exhaustion or… something else. “Why are you in here and not my room?” he asks gently. “I had to look everywhere for you.”
I don’t reply. He wouldn’t like the truth anyway.
He strokes my hair before gently touching my forehead. The chill I’ve been fighting all night instantly thaws under his touch.
“Mom said you had a pretty bad migraine. Said you didn’t even come down for dinner.”
Fresh tears of relief slip down my cheek, and I quickly wipe them away. “Y-yeah.”
I don’t know what to say. I can’t tell him the truth—that I heard voices for the first time. He’d kick me out. Think I’m a danger to his family.
“Want me to go?” Rowen asks.
“No.”
He hesitates. “You sure?”
It’s clear he doesn’t think this is about my migraine at all. He thinks it’s about our fight before he left.
I lean into him. “Please don’t.”
I hate how desperate I sound, but after hours of wondering if he’s okay, I just need to be with him—to feel him, kiss him.
“Okay.”
Rowen quickly crawls under the sheets to hold me. His chilled skin makes me shiver. I plaster myself against his chest, my leg between his, and I realize he’s naked.
“Where’re your clothes?”
He doesn’t answer right away. “I had to shift tonight, so they shredded.”
I lift my head, alarmed.
He touches my cheek. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay? Right now, I just need to be with you.”
I pause.Rowen needs me?
I curl against him, my head on his chest.
We’re quiet for a long moment, his warmth seeping into me. Calming me.
“I’m so sorry, Toby,” Rowen says finally. “I never should’ve left you like that.”
“You had to.”
“No, hon. I shouldn’t have left like that. Plus, I told you we’d be back in a few hours, and it took way longer than I expected.” He kisses my head.
I flatten my palm against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart. For the first time all night, my panic fades. His heartbeat anchors me.
“Tell me we’re okay.” The hushed words come out in a rush, almost like he hadn’t meant to say it.
I don’t see how we’ll be okay if I’m losing my mind. The thought of putting Rowen and the others through what I went through with my mom—watching me slowly lose sense of reality. I can’t bear it.
