Page 10 of Ash Fall

His eyes drop briefly to my mouth before coming back to mine, and heat spreads through me so fast that I forget what I was about to say.

Well…that's new.

Except maybe it isn't. Maybe I've just been extremely committed to not noticing it.

My palm is still against his jaw, and instead of moving away, he leans into my hand. "I missed you too."

His arms tighten around me.

"We're here now," I tell him. "Whatever happens next, we're dealing with it together."

His expression softens. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

I rest my cheek against his chest again, partly because I want to and partly because I need a second to deal with the fact that Torrin looking at my mouth just made my entire body react. I guess surviving armed soldiers isn't enough for one day. Now I have to figure out what the hell is happening between me and one of my best friends too.

Chapter 5 - Mars

I can't stop watching Luna and Torrin. She's wrapped around him with her cheek against his chest, and his arms hold her close enough that I don't need anyone to explain that something has changed between them. Jealousy hits hard, but I swallow it because I gave up any right to her the day I walked away.

Two years is a long fucking time. I don't know what I expected, but some stupid part of me thought I could come back and find everything exactly how I left it. Luna would still love me, the guys would still accept me, and all I'd have to do was explain why I disappeared. Standing here now makes it painfully obvious how ridiculous that was.

I force myself to look away and take in the house instead. I haven't been here since before Atlas and his parents died. The guilt is overwhelming as memories flood through me. Sunday dinners, Atlas razzing me, their dad pretending not to notice when I ate enough for three people, their mom quietly packing leftovers into my hands before I left. They gave me a place where I could stop worrying about food or which foster home I would be sleeping in next. I repaid them by fighting with Atlas the night they died, then running from Luna when she needed me most.

Her whole life changed because of my actions. Three of the best people I have ever met are dead because of it. If I let myself think too long about that night, I won't be useful to anyone, so I focus on Gage questioning the soldiers while Luna stays tucked against Torrin.

My hands tighten at my sides when Torrin lowers his mouth to her forehead. I want to pull her away from him and hold her myself, which is exactly the kind of selfish bullshit I don't get to indulge in right now. Luna barely wants me in the same room, and I earned that too.

Gage turns from the soldiers and glances at me before dismissing me just as quickly. The message is clear enough. I'm here because the situation requires it, not because I've been welcomed back into anything.

"Tor, you and I should go out with them to the truck," Gage tells him. "They can make it look like they're bringing us out as prisoners, then you deal with the driver."

He reaches for Luna's hand and pulls her closer before continuing. "Sweetheart, I know you want to come, and I understand why, but will you stay here while we handle this part?"

Luna's nose scrunches immediately. Her eyes flick toward me, then back to Gage. "Fine, but only if you stay with me and Torrin takes...him."

That pause before him does more damage to me than Gage's fist did but I don't let it show.

Luna has every reason not to trust me, and expecting anything else this soon would make me an even bigger asshole than I already am. If rebuilding that trust takes months, then it takes months. If it takes years, I'll still be here.

"Yeah," I say. "I'll go with Torrin. We'll deal with the driver and the rest of the patrol. Once they're free of Ashford's control, we can come get you and move on the warehouse."

Gage finally looks directly at me. The anger is still there, along with something else I don't want to examine too closely because I'm pretty sure it has Luna's name written all over it. He gives me one hard nod before turning back to Torrin and getting his agreement too.

Torrin addresses the soldiers. "I'm changing the restrictions I gave you. You can leave this house with us and carry your weapons so this looks normal. You cannot fire those weapons, aim them at any of us, use your radios to call for help, warn anyone about us, or hurt anyone unless I tell you otherwise. Understood?"

Both soldiers nod.

"Understood," Charlie says.

Luna catches Torrin before he can head for the door and wraps her arms around him again. "Be careful. Come back to me."

"I will, love."

She doesn't look at me once.

I turn toward the door before anyone can see how much that bothers me.