Page 61 of When The Noise Stops

He didn't answer with his mouth.

He rolled.

The blanket slipped. He settled between my thighs like the floor had been waiting for it, one hand under my head so I wouldn't hit the wood, the other opening the space between us. He kissed me once, slow, tasting smoke.

I opened my thighs for him without hesitation.

He pushed into me easy this time. No rain. No anger. Just the weight of him and the quiet sound he made when he was fully inside me, forehead against mine.

I wrapped my legs around him and let the rest of the night go dark.

Chapter 25

Knox

I woke up alone and, for a moment, had no idea where I was. A pink blanket covered me. Then my vision cleared. Lila's couch. My jeans draped over one of her dining chairs. The night returned in pieces—the rain, the shop, being inside Lila. I sat up and dragged a hand over my face.

"Coffee?"

I looked up. She was at the kitchen table, turned in my direction, nodding me over.

She was wearing glasses I'd never seen before. Her hair was piled on top of her head. A laptop was open in front of her. The T-shirt she had on was too big, and she looked—different today. Less loud. Less playful. Not the Lila who climbed into my lap at parties or yelled across campgrounds. Someone quieter. Someone I hadn't met yet.

My palms started to sweat. I didn't know why.

"You wear glasses?"

She pushed them higher on her nose.

"Sometimes. You want coffee or you wanna investigate my vision?"

"Coffee."

"Good answer."

There was already a mug waiting, and a muffin on a plate beside it. I sat across from her and she slid the plate closer.

"Blueberry."

"Thank you."

I opened my mouth to ask her about last night.

"You're not. I also found you a shop."

I stopped with the muffin halfway to my mouth.

"What?"

"A shop."

I set it down.

"Lila."

"What?"

"It hasn't even been twelve hours since I told you what happened."