She looks from Ethan to me and back again. Then she shrugs. “I’m sorry three.”
The tiniest of smiles tugs at Ethan’s lips as we ascend the steps, our heavy boots pressing into each other’s prints.
On the top deck, I hurry to let us in, ditching my coat and boots. I instinctively cross the living room to switch on the nearest lamp, but—
“Oh.” I wince. “Right.”
“No power.” Ethan groans.
“Yeah,” Juniper says. “Kinda forgot about that.”
I sigh, suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion. “I’m gonna go to bed. We can sort this out in the morning?”
“Yeah,” Ethan agrees. But as we head down the corridor, Juniper doesn’t follow.
“Juniper?” I stall, my hand holding Ethan back.
“I think I’m gonna take the couch tonight,” she says, and Ethan and I exchange glances.
“Okay,” I say. “As long as you’re okay.”
She nods, pulling the fur blanket over to the sofa. “I’m okay.”
Ethan squeezes my palm. “We’re all okay,” he says gently, leading us back to our bedroom, where our bed waits for us bathed in moonlight, like it was the night before—and the night before that.
The next day, the morning sun streams through the window, its glittering shine mottled by the fresh falling snow.
Heh. Who needs lamps?
I can’t believe how beautiful this place is.
I stretch, feeling the soft sheets against my skin. Ethan is propped up on one elbow, watching me with a warm smile.
“Good morning,” he says, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
“Morning.” I sit up, the warmth of the covers slipping away. “How did you sleep?”
“Better than I expected,” he replies.
“Yeah?”
He nods. “I’ve been thinking … about last night.”
I take a deep breath. “Me too.” I look down. “I know things got pretty intense.”
“Yeah.” He runs a hand through his hair, sighing. “Yeah, they did. But I’ve been wondering—does it really matter that Juniper has a past? Just because she’s done this before doesn’t mean what we had wasn’t fun, right? It doesn’t change how special it felt to us?”
I nod, a weight lifting from my chest. “It was definitely fun.” Warmth floods my cheeks at the memories of our recent sexcapades. “I think maybe I was just scared?”
“Scared of what?” he prompts gently, his gaze steady.
“Oh, I dunno.” I sigh, my voice softening. “Scared of being used? Of being just another notch on someone’s bedpost. Of using her.” I frown. “But I realise now I was projecting my fears onto her. It wasn’t like that at all.”
Ethan reaches out, taking my hand in his. “It was amazing,” he says. “Magical, even.”
I grin, having thought the exact same. “Right.” I squeeze his hand with a surge of relief. “What we shared with Juniper that night was real,” I say. “Really real,” I add with a giggle, and Ethan throws me a sidelong glance.
Leaning in, I kiss him softly then pull back. “I think we should talk to her about it. Clear the air, y’know?”
