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“Er, yeah. Sure. Listen, I’ve gotta go. I was supposed to pick Stella’s stuff up from her ex’s apartment, but now I’m stuck in traffic on an ice rink.”
“Stella’sex?”
“Long story. Hey, if you manage not to piss her off, maybe she’ll tell you. Talk to you later, Alden!” And then he hung up.
And I was left confused, waiting for the warning that hadn’t come.
Obviously, the years had made Nick trust me again—so much so that he didn’t even feel the need to state the obvious.
I wouldn’t betray that trust. Not again. Despite my displaced attraction for her, I wouldn’t act on any of it. I’d give her the space she needed and stay out of the way.
Easy enough.
FIVE
STELLA
I always thoughtthat I’d be fearless in the face of danger.
But when the wind sounded like it was about to knock down the house, I was a fucking coward. I knew that I would be the first to die in a horror film purely because I didn’t want to move. An axe murderer could come for me and I would stay in place like the most boring target alive.
Huddled on the couch, I watched every window while Alden was gone. It felt easier when he’d been here because he knew what he was doing. There was no way I could have made it through this on my own, and that was a humbling thought.
A creak echoed through the house, making me jump up from the couch. “Alden! The house is falling.”
I felt him at my back before I saw him. He was warm and firm behind me, a comfort in the face of whateverthe hell was happening. I didn’t know how he’d even gotten here so fast—he must have run from the kitchen.
The housedidsound like it was coming apart, but as soon as it started, it was over.
“Are we alive?” I croaked as silence took over again.
“That was outside.” He went to look out the window. “A big tree branch fell.”
“O-oh, is that all?” I laughed awkwardly. “It sounded bad. Sorry.”
“It would have been if it were closer to the house.” He gestured for me to walk over, and through the window film, I could see the brown all over the ground. “See how big it is?”
It was from Amma’s maple, a massive thing older than the house.
I looked up at him. This close, I could see the streaks of green in his normally brown eyes and the way his five-o’clock shadow darkened his lower face. My heart did a flip. It was honestly unfair that he was this attractive.
“T-the wind did this?”
“It often does. Luckily for us, we can trim it and use it for firewood.” He walked to the couch where his jacket sat.
“You’re going out there now?”
“Yep. We’ll need more soon.”
“Won’t you be cold?”
He pulled gloves out of his pocket. “I’ll be fine. Stay here.”
I opened my mouth to beg him not to leave but then closed it. I needed to be less of a coward about this.
Even though reality gripped me like a vise, I would remain strong and not let my fear show again. Nor would I get so close that I could see every detail of his face.
Both were bad for my pride.