She set the grocery bag on the counter, leaving the ice cream out to soften.Her eyes were already drifting toward the living room at the back of the apartment.
Her stomach fluttered in anticipation.
And there he was.
Finn.
Sitting on her couch like he'd always belonged there, his long legs stretched out, his arm draped over the backrest, his eyes lifting to meet hers the second she stepped into the room.The soft lamplight brushed over him, highlighting the strands of gray hair that seemed to sprout overnight.
Time stood still in Everstill, but not here.Not in her world.
He pulled on his beard, his gaze softening.He looked happy.Warm.Alive.
She'd walked away from Everstill and returned to her life three months ago without missing a day of work.No one even questioned her absence because time had stood still until she returned.But unlike Everstill, each day here was different and memorable.Finn could keep track of time.He aged.And everything fascinated him.
Her breath caught.She would never get tired of looking at him.Each day, her heart fell in love all over again.
Every time she saw him in her world, in her space, she was reminded of the miracle of getting him here.Like she'd been given something she never should've had.Something she still didn't fully understand.
But she no longer questioned how it had happened.The day she left Everstill, Finn held on, fought, and survived.He was right.If she had known the risks before leaving Everstill, they would both be back there, living each day.She would never risk his life.
But he'd risked more than himself for her.
She crossed the room in three quick steps and sank onto the couch beside him, her hand finding his without hesitation.His fingers curled around hers, instantly claiming her, as if he'd been waiting for her all day, too.
"Hi," she whispered.
Finn smiled.That gentle smile that melted her from the inside out.
"Hi," he murmured back.
And just like that, the world outside faded.The grocery store.The customers.Amy's teasing.The long hours.The ache in her chest she carried everywhere she went.
None of it mattered.
Because Finn was here.On her couch.In her life.In her world.And she loved him fiercely, completely, endlessly.
His presence filled the room and made wherever she was a home for them.Kallie curled her legs beneath her and leaned into him, letting her shoulder brush his arm.The simple contact sent a warm rush through her chest, easing the tension she'd carried since her shift started.
Being away from him was the hardest thing.When they first arrived, she would go to work, and Finn would leave the apartment.She worried about him.His job in Everstill was to wander.She was afraid he'd find the road to go back.
As much as she wanted to trust he'd stay with her, the first few weeks were hard on him.Everything was different.Time hadn't slowed for him.He wasn't used to cell phones, Ubers, deliveries, or the internet.
He shifted just enough to make space for her, his arm sliding behind her shoulders.She melted into him, her head finding the familiar spot beneath his jaw.Inhaling the warm, clean scent that was unmistakably Finn, she wrapped her arms around him.
"You okay?"he murmured.
She nodded against him."I am now."
His fingers brushed her upper arm in slow, absent strokes, each one sending a quiet shiver down her spine.It wasn't an intentional seduction.Finn simply touched her because he wanted to, because he could, because she was here.
She tilted her face up to look at him.The lamplight caught the ridge of his straight nose, the softness in his eyes, and the slight pout of his bottom lip beneath his beard.
"What are you thinking?"she whispered.
He shook his head slightly, his thumb brushing her cheek."Just missed you."
Her heart flipped."It was only eight hours."
