Page 134

Her voice cracked and it was the crack that made Charlotte believe she meant what she said.

“You make bad days better,” Ali swallowed, eyes shining. “And I’m scared because I don’t know what you need.”

Charlotte’s chest tightened, sharp and aching.

The truth was she hadn’t even been looking for coffee when she stumbled upon Ali McCarthy all those months ago. The January chill had settled into Boston to stay when she caught a glimpse of her smile through the Blend & Brew window, hair pulled into a messy bun, copper strands fallen loose. Blue and gold eyeliner catching the light in a bold mix of lines and dots. Laughter bright on her face. What had made her laugh like that? Charlotte would never know. But those damn dimples caught mid-stride and her steps stuttered, changing course without command, drawn by some invisible string. The second those coffee eyes met hers, her heart began to truly beat for the first time.

She hadn’t been looking. She found her anyway. And when she smiled anew, Charlotte swore lightning struck.

“I want to help,” Ali continued, words tumbling out one after the other. “I want to be your steady in the storm. I want to be your safe harbor. But I don’t want to rush you into feeling better because you’re entitled to feel this, for however long you need to… You’ve never once rushed me. You always go at my pace.”

She hadn’t expected Ali to be so understanding the first time she experienced the might of her temper. People always said her fury was like a storm. That she could call down thunder with a look and lightning with a word. But Ali came into her life like a bolt from a clear sky. No warning, no clouds, just a thunderous boom echoing through the empty chambers of her heart with electric intensity, leaving behind the sudden understanding that her world had fundamentally changed.

“I just—” Ali’s laugh wobbled, small and anxious, her words tripping and bumbling. “I feel like I’m winging it. And that gives me anxiety because I don’t want to accidentally make it worse.”

Ali had arrived like the end of a drought.

And like the first rain after a long hot summer… the reality seeped in… Ali could never make anything worse. Because she was in love with Ali McCarthy. She loved her, of course she did, had loved her since the beginning. But this was different. This was the full weight of it landing without warning, quiet and complete… like gravity. Her heart didn’t belong to her—maybe it never did. Maybe it always belonged to the woman kneeling in front of her with a first aid kit and shaking hands and the audacity to be afraid of making things worse.

Her grip on her glass loosened.

Ali peered up at her, searching. “You’re unreadable right now,” she whispered. “I’m making it worse, aren’t I⁠—”

Charlotte moved without thought.

She cradled Ali’s face and kissed her, a quiet, grounding kiss that stopped the spiral mid-breath. When she pulled back Ali’s lashes fluttered, dazed.

She wanted to tell her. But they both deserved a moment that was their own. She didn’t want anger still smoldering in her voice when she finally said it.

“You could never make it worse.”

Ali huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes. “That’s sweet, but unrealistic.”

Charlotte guided their eyes together, holding the two of them steady with just a look. “You are sunlight, Lina.”

Ali’s breath caught.

Charlotte exhaled, thumb brushing Ali’s bottom lip. “I’m a mess right now. My emotions are everywhere. I’m still so angry. It’s been handled, but the rage is still here, and I don’t know where to put it.”

Tension leaked from Ali’s shoulders, her body exhaling as if she’d finally been given the right map.

Charlotte thanked every lucky star she ever scoffed at… somehow, even like this, she found the right words.

Her own anger shifted in Ali’s presence, ebbing just a fraction. Normally, it took her far longer to calm the storm. Ali always tipped things upside down.

A small, wicked smirk tugged at Ali’s mouth. “I might have an idea.”

She rose onto her knees and kissed Charlotte hard.

Charlotte made a rough sound she didn’t bother to swallow, fingers threading into Ali’s hair, gripping, tugging as she met her motion for motion. Ali’s teeth sank into Charlotte’s lower lip, leaving zero doubt for how she planned to calm the storm inside her.

Charlotte paused just long enough to ask if she was sure. Ali didn’t hesitate and pounced.

Later—much later—when they finally collapsed into bed in a tangled, breathless heap, Charlotte stared into the dark and let herself acknowledge the reality… The sea of her anger was still there, but it didn’t feel quite so vast.

34

ALI