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“No. Never. It’s just… this was different. It was Alex and—”
“You care.”
“Yeah,” he agrees before his eyes widen. “But not like that,” he says in a rush. “I don’t—”
“Hey, it’s okay. What happened between you, it doesn’t need to change your friendship or make you question caring about him.”
“Yeah, I know. I dunno what’s going on. Before… that… I never… Shit. I should go.”
He backs away from the bed looking even more defeated than before.
“No, don’t.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t.”
He’s gone before I can argue any more, pulling the door closed quietly behind him.
“I might want to hurt him for whatever he did that resulted in you being inside that church, but I’m glad he was here for you,” Alex says sleepily.
“They all were. You have the best friends in the world.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “I do.”
20
ALEX
Iwake with a fright but no memory of what I was dreaming about, although it doesn’t take an expert to guess. The cold sweat that covers my skin, the way my heart races and the need to fight that burns through my veins give it away.
But the second I look to the side, I find Evie sleeping beside me, and everything settles in an instant.
She’s here. It’s over.
Sucking in a deep breath, I force myself to focus on the future instead of what’s behind us.
Yes, we’ve got a long way to go yet. We have a lot to talk about and things to figure out. But with her here, knowing what she did—or at least the very basics of what she did—gives me confidence that we have a future beyond everything we’ve been through.
I was meant to meet Evie that night at my Dad’s. And not just to help but figure out this whole human trafficking ring, but to be the other half of me I was searching for. Everything we’ve been through, our time together… It’s been beyond intense and fast and all the things that most normal people probably wouldn’t understand. But for us, it’s perfect. Or at least, I think it is.
As gently as I can, I roll out of bed and press my feet to the soft carpet, determined to get to take a piss without any help this time.
The sun might have set, but it’s still light enough to see where I’m going. Not that I really need to. I know every inch of this room like the back of my hand. I could navigate it with my eyes closed.
Thankfully, my legs cooperate this time, and I get there and back without too much drama.
I’m halfway across the room, heading back to bed when the door opens and a head pokes into the room.
Zay immediately looks at the bed, his eyes widening when he finds only Evie in it before panic takes over.
“Hey,” I whisper. “I’m right here, bud.”
Relief floods his features before he practically runs at me.
I try to keep my grunt of pain in when we collide, but I don’t manage it. Thankfully, or not, I’m not entirely sure, he’s too lost in his own head to hear it.
His arms wrap around me as he rests his head against my chest. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. I feel it. His pain, his desperation.
Soft footsteps move closer and the door is pushed open a little more, revealing Blakely.
