I stayed completely still—because she was here, and she trusted me enough to fall asleep beside me.
In the dim glow of the TV, she looked almost angelic.
Silver-white hair spilling around her like a halo.
Lashes resting against her cheeks.
Her glove-covered hands curled lightly in her lap.
I had never seen anything so beautiful.
A part of me… the reckless part, the hungry part… wanted to reach out. To touch a strand of her hair. To feel if her skin truly was as soft as silk looked.
But the bigger part—
the part that cared about her more than anything—
wanted her to trust me.
So I didn’t move.
I stayed perfectly still.
And I watched her.
Quiet. Calm. Content in a way I didn’t think I was capable of being.
Just… watching her breathe.
Chapter 17
Seph
When I woke, it was past midnight. Jess’s door was closed, so I knew she was home. A sandwich and a cupcake sat on the table across from me with a single word scrawled on a note:
EAT.
I snorted. Jess had left me food.
So much fornotfriends.
Beside me, snoring and twitching with his tongue hanging out, was Ash.
His hair was a wild mane around him, the scar bright against his cheek. His arms were clenched tightly to his chest, like he’d spent the whole night fighting the urge to reach for me.
Something in my chest pinched.
I smiled.
He was so sweet.
A little nuts, but sweet.
I slipped into my room, grabbed a blanket, and draped it over him—careful, so careful—not to touch him.
He just snorted and turned his head.
Not wanting to disturb him, I took my food and stepped outside, following the now-familiar path to my spot by the lake.
