Me:Be there in five.
I glanced back at the counter. The truth would wait.
I took a few minutes to grab my things—perhaps a few minutes too many. When I stepped out of the building at last, he was leaning against his car. Rain-dark clouds pooled behind him, a bruise on the sky. He straightened when he saw me, his expression tightening into the familiar, rigid distance he used to keep the world away.
I climbed into the passenger seat without his invitation. He got in beside me, and a moment later, we were pulling away from the kerb.
“We were supposed to meet at the quarry at six,” I said, keeping my voice level.
Riven kept his eyes on the road, his hands steady on the wheel. “Plans change, Selene.”
As I settled further into the seat, my phone buzzed again in my pocket. I reached for it, glancing at the screen, and felt a knot in my chest loosen.
Dane.
His eyes moved to me, then back to the road.
I swiped to accept. “Hey. You alright?”
Dane’s voice came through warm but tired, threaded with that familiar steadiness that anchored me. “Yeah. Just wanted to check in. See how you’re doing.”
“I’m fine,” I said—and it came out softer than intended. “How about you?”
“Still stuck here,” Dane said with a weary sigh. “They’re keeping me for one more week. Spine needs stabilising. After that… probably a month at home before they’ll let me do anything useful.”
My stomach sank. “A month?”
“Doctor’s orders,” he said lightly. “Apparently, I don’t bounce back quite as fast as I thought.”
A small, sad laugh escaped me. “Dane…”
He heard it. Of course he did. “Hey,” he said gently. “It’s alright. I’ll be fine. Just slow for a bit.”
Beside me, Riven slipped into a controlled stillness, listening to the shift in my tone.
Dane continued, his voice dropping a fraction. “Just didn’t want you worrying. That’s all.”
My throat tightened. “Too late.”
“Alright,” Dane said softly. “I’ll let you go. Don’t want to interrupt your day.”
“You’re not,” I said quickly.
Riven’s jaw gave a minute flex—a tiny slip of the mask before he smoothed it away.
“Take care of yourself, Selene,” Dane murmured. “And get some rest. For once.”
“I’ll try,” I whispered.
He gave a tired huff of a laugh. “Liar.”
The call ended. I slipped my phone into my pocket, staring out at the rain-streaked windscreen.
Riven drove in silence. Composed. Too composed.
Finally, he spoke, his tone low and neutral. “You and Dane… you’re close.”
The words landed as a casual observation, but a distinct spike of curiosity prickled against my skin, tasting slightly sour. He was measuring the space Dane occupied in my life, testing the strength of that history.
