Chapter 65 Havoc
Havoc
Ishouldn’t have stayed.
That’s the first thought.
The second?
I shouldn’t have let her get that close.
But I did.
And now it’s stuck in my head.
The way her hand felt against my ribs.
Light.
Careful.
Like I was something worth protecting.
That’s the problem.
I push up off the couch.
Slow.
Careful.
Ignoring the protest from my body.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I freeze.
Aspen stands across the room.
Arms crossed.
Watching me like she already knows the answer.
“Outside,” I say.
“No.”
I almost laugh.
“Not a suggestion?”
“Not even a little.”
I take another step anyway.
Pain flares.
Sharp.
Immediate.
She’s in front of me before I can take a second.
“Sit down,” she says, low and firm.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
We’re close again.
Too close.
“You don’t get to decide that,” I say.
Her eyes flash.
“Actually, I do.”
And there it is.
Fire.
Strength.
Everything that makes her…
her.
I exhale.
Look away.
Because if I don’t—
“This is a bad idea,” I say.
“What is?”
“This,” I gesture between us.
She goes still.
For a second, I think she’s going to argue.
Push back.
Instead—
She nods.
“I know.”
That’s worse.
Because she’s not denying it.
She’s feeling it too.
I sit back down.
Because suddenly standing feels like the harder option.
“Get some sleep, Nash,” she says quietly.
“Yeah.”
But neither of us moves right away.
Because we both know—
Sleep isn’t the problem.