I got ready for work on autopilot—finish coffee, clean clothes, hair up, boots on. Go to work. The Stop & Go kept me moving all day, kept my hands busy, kept the worst of my thoughts at a manageable distance. Elizabeth talked. Customers came and went. By the time my shift ended, I was tired and ready to crash.
The drive back to Riverside Pines felt longer than usual. But when I turned off the main road, Levi’s truck was in the lot, and my entire body relaxed without effort.
He was home.
I swapped my jeans for soft cotton pajamas, brushed my teeth, and checked the windows and door one more time before climbing into bed, going through each small ritual as if it were proof I was still in control. It was still early, but, just like yesterday, I was exhausted.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to every shift of metal and wind, wondering if independence was just another word for stubborn. I picked up my book and flipped it open. The trailer creaked. My heart jumped.
Then—a cabinet door closed next door. Water ran. A faint thud. It was Levi. I focused on the sound of him moving around. The rhythm of it. He was right there, and I would be okay.
Eventually, I rolled onto my side, facing the window. I told myself to sleep. For a while, I just lay there listening to the night breathe. The hum of a distant truck on the highway. The faint metallic tick of cooling siding. The low murmur of Levi’s music through the thin space between our trailers. He was still awake. I focused on that sound. On something ordinary and steady.
My thoughts stopped running in straight lines. They blurred at the edges. The ceiling above me softened into shadow. My body grew heavy in that familiar, sinking way. I didn’t notice the exact moment I slipped under.
I was just… suddenly there.
At the river.
The air felt colder than it had that night. The trees stood too close together. Too tall.
The red light blinked between the branches.
Once.
Twice.
Someone said my name.
Low. Close.
I tried to turn toward it, but my body wouldn’t move. My feet felt anchored to the floor.
The light flashed again?—
And I jerked awake.
My arm flew out instinctively, slamming hard against the thin metal siding of the trailer. The impact rang out—a sharp, hollow thudthat echoed in the small space.
Air wouldn’t go into my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. My chest was tight, and my heart slammed against my ribs as if trying to escape. My fingers tingled. My vision narrowed. I wasn’t dying. Somewhere deep inside, I knew that. But my body didn’t.
I tried to take a deep breath.
It caught halfway.
The room felt smaller.
A shadow moved outside my window.
Then a soft knock against the glass.
“Becca?” Levi’s voice. Another knock, more urgent. “Hey. Unlock it. I heard the bang—I heard you gasping. Open the window.”
My hands shook as I slid the curtains aside and reached for the latch. It took two tries to slide it open. He leaned across the narrow gap, bracing one hand on my frame, and crawled through his window like he’d practiced the move. He didn’t even hesitate. He ended up in my bed. Next to me. Right there, taking up my space until he was all I could see.
Chapter 16
Becca
