I thought about calling Elijah and asking him outright, but the idea twisted my stomach. What if he didn't answer because he was with her? I also didn't want to be that girl. The clingy one. The one who needed reassurance all the time.
So I didn't call.
I cried instead—and I swear Sassy is judging me from across the room. Honestly? I’m judging myself too.
The house is empty. No one's coming back tonight. No one except Elijah, and I don't think I can wait for him to come home and find out the truth. It's gnawing at me, making me all antsy and pick at the skin around my nails. I can't eat anything, not even my sweets, which is saying something, because they're usually my emotional life raft.
The sun dips low, bleeding orange and gold before slipping away completely, and the darkness creeps in. I pull my jackettighter as I head toward Elijah's garage. The day might have been warm, but the moment the sun disappears, the air turns cold like Antarctica.
I can do this.
Elijah wouldn't hurt me.
He wouldn't.
My thoughts spiral anyway, emotions colliding and tangling until I realise I’m standing outside without really remembering the walk. The shutters are open, the space inside empty, but the lights in his office are on.
Images rush in uninvited, every worst-case scenario playing on repeat.
Please don't let her be in there with him.
I twist my fingers together, skin pulling tight as my foot taps softly against the concrete. I just stand there, staring at the window, fully aware I probably look like a complete weirdo lurking outside a garage.
Two silhouettes move inside.Two.
Nausea settles in my stomach. Every instinct screams at me to leave. He isn't alone, of course. What made me think he would choose me when she exists?
Maybe they’re fixing things like she said, working on their marriage. The thought sinks in, heavy and cruel. He’s probably thinking that last night was a mistake, and this morning's kisses, the soft words, and the way he looked at me were just guilt dressed up as affection. He’s had all day to think about it—plenty of time to realise I’m the wrong choice. Too complicated.
Too much baggage.
Not worth the fallout.
I swallow hard, forcing the sting behind my eyes down, but it doesn't go away. I yank my hair back from my face, hands trembling, and my stomach turns. God, I feel sick. Why am I sowrecked over this? We haven't even said what we are, and here I am, unravelling like a fool.
“Willow, what are you doing out here?” His voice cuts through the fog in my mind, low, urgent, and tinged with worry.
I can’t answer, and I feel his hands close over mine, warm and steady. “You're freezing. Fuck.”
I look up at him. His striking blue eyes scan my face, and I feel an unusual pull in my chest. Then I notice someone else approaching. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Blonde hair catches the light from the moon in soft, sunlit waves. A sharp jaw softened by a dusting of stubble. His eyes are a pale blue, kind, intelligent, the kind of eyes that put people at ease.
Elijah steps closer, sliding an arm around my waist, pressing me to him. His warmth seeps into me, grounding me, and the stranger halts a step back, his gaze flicking between us, curious but careful.
“Hey, you must be Willow.”
“I… um.. Sorry, I have no idea who you are.” I manage.
The man lets out a soft, amused laugh. Elijah's hand tightens on my hip, a small shake of his shoulders betraying the quiet amusement behind his otherwise unreadable expression.
“I’m not surprised; Elijah doesn't talk about any of us,” he says, extending his hand with easy confidence. “I’m Elliot, his better-looking brother.”
I raise an eyebrow in surprise but slowly take his hand, feeling the firm grip as we shake. I glance between the two of them. They couldn't be more different. I would never have guessed they were related.
“He likes to tell himself that every morning in the mirror,” Elijah jokes, smirking, and Elliot lets out a playful eye-roll, shaking his head.
“We all know that's Ezra's speciality,” Elliot adds, glancing back at me with a small, teasing grin.
He's not wrong; I can totally see Ezra doing that.
