Chapter 55 Wren
Wren
The water is flowing peacefully.
Late morning sunlight pours through the kitchen windows, warming the wood floors and the long counter where Boone is standing.
He’s cooking.
Again.
Which still surprises me.
“You’re staring,” he says without turning around.
“I’m observing.”
“That sounds suspicious.”
“I’m studying your technique.”
“Making eggs isn’t exactly complicated.”
“I stopped a cascading infrastructure collapse.”
“I think I can analyze breakfast.”
Boone laughs softly and slides two plates onto the table.
“Alright, professor.”
“Breakfast is served.”
I walk over and sit across from him.
The house smells like coffee and toast.
Normal things.
Simple things.
For a while we just eat quietly.
It feels comfortable.
Peaceful.
Which is still a strange feeling after everything we’ve been through.
Then Boone studies me across the table.
“You’re smiling.”
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“That usually means you’re thinking about something.”
I take another sip of coffee.
“I am.”
“What?”
“This.”
“This?”
“The house.”
“The river.”
“Breakfast.”
“Fishing yesterday.”
I shrug slightly.
“This is the closest thing to a normal life I’ve ever had.”
Boone leans back in his chair.
“You could get used to it.”
“Maybe.”
He studies me carefully.
“You’re still deciding.”
“Yes.”
“About staying.”
“Yes.”
“About us?”
I meet his eyes.
“That part…”
“…I’m not unsure about.”
His expression softens.
“That’s good.”
Because the truth is—
The past few days changed something.
The quiet.
The lake.
The way Boone looks at me like the world makes sense when we’re together.
It makes everything feel real.
“Come here,” he says quietly.
I raise an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“Just come here.”
I stand and walk around the table.
Boone reaches for my hand and gently pulls me closer between his knees.
The warmth of his hands settles at my waist.
“You’ve been thinking too much,” he says.
“That’s my specialty.”
“Try something different.”
“Like what?”
He smiles slightly.
“Stop thinking.”
“That’s ambitious.”
“Let me help.”
And then he kisses me.
Slow.
Unhurried.
The kind of kiss that makes the world fade away.
My hands slide into his hair as his arms wrap around me, pulling me closer.
The kitchen disappears.
The river.
The quiet house.
Everything except the warmth of him.
When he lifts me onto the counter beside him, I laugh softly.
“You’re very persuasive.”
“I try.”
His mouth finds mine again, deeper this time.
Every touch feels deliberate.
Careful.
Like he’s memorizing me.
The sunlight pours across the kitchen floor as the morning stretches around us.
The rest of the world can wait.
For once—
There are no alarms.
No countdown clocks.
No collapsing systems.
Just Boone’s arms around me.
His voice low against my ear.
“You’re not going anywhere, are you?”
I pull back just enough to look at him.
“No.”
“Good.”
I kiss him again.
And this time—
Neither of us is in any hurry to stop.
The quiet house holds the moment around us.
The water shining outside the windows.
And for the first time since everything began—
We finally let ourselves belong to something simple.
Each other.