“It already is,” I said.
She smiled at that.
We moved deeper into the bar, and I found myself naturally drifting closer to Swift.Not because I needed to but because I wanted to.
Which was… new.
Tempi was my person and had been for years.She was loud and chaotic and loyal to a fault.
But Swift?
Swift was something different.
Quieter.Steadier.
The kind of presence that didn’t demand attention but made everything feel… safer and easier.
Like the world couldn’t get to me as long as he was within arm’s reach.
And that thought?That was dangerous.Because this wasn’t supposed to be anything more than him watching over me.
Temporary.
Except it didn’t feel temporary.
It felt like something that was settling in, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that yet.
“So,” Tempi said, clapping her hands once.“You gonna just stand there looking pretty, or are you gonna help?”
I snorted.“I can help.”
Swift’s head turned toward me immediately.“You sure about that?”
I rolled my eyes.“Yes, I am sure about that.”
He didn’t look convinced.
I made my way behind the bar, grabbing a crate of bottles with my good arm and carefully shifting them into place on one of the shelves Tempi had cleared.
It felt good.
Normal.Like I was getting a piece of my life back.
That only lasted for about thirty minutes, and then my arm started to ache.My shoulder throbbed, and my energy tank dropped faster than I wanted it to.
I tried to ignore it, but Swift noticed.
Of course he did.
“You’re slowing down,” he said quietly, stepping up beside me.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
I sighed.“I’m fine.”
He just looked at me.Didn’t argue or push.
