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“It’s hard not to be close in a town this small.

That’s part of why I love it, although it makes days like this even harder.

” I bite my lip in an effort to hold in the breath that threatens to come out as a sob.

I should tell him to go. I hate looking vulnerable.

“I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear about this. You don’t have to stay here.”

“I don’t mind.” He brushes a lone tear away from my eye. “Unless you’d rather be alone.”

That’s my default setting, one I’m usually comfortable with, and given my uncharacteristically fragile mood you’d think I wouldn’t want company in case I lose my shit.

Yet tonight, the thought of being alone sounds especially lonely, and even though I don’t want him to see this side of me, I want to be by myself even less. I shake my head slightly.

“Movie night?” he asks, his shoulders lifting in question.

“Yeah. Sounds good.” I offer a weak smile.

“Any requests?” Axel picks the remote off the coffee table and turns on the TV, scrolling through the guide.

“Something mindless.”

The corner of his lip ticks up as he finds an action movie. “Can’t get any more mindless than over-the-top action I suppose.”

He sets the remote back on the table and reclines into the far corner of the couch.

Slinging his arm over the back, he looks at me and lifts his eyebrows.

I fill my lungs and hold onto the breath as I wage an internal debate over how vulnerable I want to be.

Then set my glass down and lean into his side.

I’ll indulge just because I’m sad. It’s the last thought I have before closing my heavy eyelids.

***

The first rays of the morning sun peek through my blinds, warming my face. I know instantly I’m in my own bed, but something about it seems strange. That’s when I register the heavy arm wrapped around my middle, and the naked chest pressed against my back.

As discreetly as possible, I try to slide out from beneath this hold, but the movement only causes it to grip me tighter.

“Go back to sleep,” a deep voice grumbles.

“I have to get to work.”

“Leni, your friend just died. Give yourself a break.” I go stiff as memories from last night come rushing back. “Shit, you blocked it out, didn’t you? I’m so sorry.” Axel gives me a gentle squeeze, which makes me realize my last memory was sitting on the couch, not coming to bed.

“How did I get in here?”

“You fell asleep during the movie. I figured you’d be more comfortable in here.

” Axel rolls onto his back, freeing me from his embrace.

I feel suddenly cold on top of confused, because if I understand correctly, he carried me to bed, and since we’re close to the same size, I’m not sure how he pulled that off.

“Thank you,” I say robotically.

“No problem. Seriously though, you were in rough shape last night. Why don’t you relax today?”

My chest constricts as his words cling to my aching heart.

I don’t remember the last time someone was worried about me.

Not since my mom passed several years ago, I imagine, and while it’s fair to say people in this town take care of each other, I’ve never really had an occasion where I needed someone to take care of me.

Having Axel do that now… It's strange. Foreign . But… nice.

Shit! I can’t go there, not with someone who’s only temporary. And even if he wasn’t, history suggests letting myself get attached would only lead to disappointment. I’ve been on my own a long time for a reason, and I’ll get through this on my own too, by staying busy.

“Everyone was in rough shape, and they’ll be looking for a place to go through that together. That’s what Murphy’s is for—solace.”

“Won’t they go to the family’s house?”

“Yeah, but they won’t want to overstay their welcome and they’ll need somewhere else to go. I expect everyone in town will shuffle through at one point or another, before or after they hit the bar so they can soak up some of the alcohol.”

Axel stretches his arms above his head, pushing the sleep from his body. The body I already miss for my future self. “Sounds like a long day,” he sighs.

“It will be, but the town needs it.”

“And you?” He rolls to face me, his amber eyes tinged with concern. “What do you need?”

I blink back another round of tears, telling myself they’re for Chase and not what Axel just said. “I need it too. The restaurant is where I’m closest to everyone, and I want to be with them today.”

Every word of that is true, so why am I also feeling sad that I can’t stay here with him?

A compassionate smile drifts across Axel’s face as he nods. “I get it. You shower, and I’ll make you some coffee.” Then he climbs out of bed and pulls on a pair of pants before heading to the kitchen .

I mentally kick myself for noticing how hot he is as he walks away, especially now, when I should be thinking about Chase and his family. Then I slip out of bed and get cleaned up.

Freshly showered and feeling somewhat human, I enter the kitchen to find him pouring me a cup of coffee. “You don’t have shit to eat here, or I would’ve made you something.”

“I own a restaurant. All my food is there.”

It wasn’t meant to be funny, but he laughs anyway. “That’s the most illogical logic I’ve ever heard, but somehow it makes perfect sense.” He hands me the mug, drawing my eyes to the corded muscle in his forearms, honed from years on the bike. “You sure you’re good?”

“I will be.” I offer a weak smile.

His gaze is thoughtful as he seems to replay my words in his head a few times. Then he nods and steps forward, taking my coffee and setting it on the counter with one hand while he grabs the back of my head with the other and rests his forehead on mine.

“Go be the angel they need,” he whispers.

“I thought I was the devil?”

“Not today.” The sudden press of his lips against mine is so tender I feel it in my chest.

Soft.

Simple.

Reassuring.

Axel’s fingers flex in my hair as he tilts his head to the side, swiping his tongue along the seam of my lips. My mouth parts on a shaky gasp, giving him just enough room to dip inside for a faint touch before he pulls away.

“Bye.” He spins out of reach and heads out the door, never looking back to notice my fingers tracing my lips .

Holy shit! He kissed me. A super-sweet, super-hot kiss, that almost felt like a goodbye even though as our first it should’ve been more like hello, I think.

Wait—no. That can’t be right. By some unspoken agreement we’ve stayed away from kissing, like we both know it’s way too intimate for what we’re doing.

So why would he start now? And why goodbye when he’s still here for at least another week?

This is just a fling, no need for gestures like that. No need for any gestures at all.

I can’t deny liking the possessive way he pulled me in though. And the way he took care of me last night, just holding me during the movie since I was incapable of doing anything else. And my laundry. My laundry! What kind of person does that?

Alright, it’s possible I misjudged him during our first meeting.

Yeah, he was brazen and borderline conceited in a totally backward, reckless, one-night-stand kind of way that turned me on.

But I thought a quick romp would be the end of it.

I honestly didn’t expect to see him after that, and even when I agreed to more, I thought it would be all about the sex.

What he did last night, holding me instead of seducing me, almost makes me wish he wasn’t just passing through.

I crush my eyes shut and shake my head, trying to clear that thought.

I know what can happen when you rely on the wrong person.

They take what they need, use you up, and cast you aside when they’re done.

My first instinct was that Axel is the wrong type of person, and one night of sweet gestures doesn’t change anything.

My mom had years of sweet gestures, and my dad still ghosted her, so I can’t let one night cloud my judgment.

I can’t let that fool me into thinking Axel’s any better, or that he’d be any different than my own father.

After all, if my own blood can let me down, what's to stop a random guy from doing it, even if that random guy has his sweet moments.

I can’t let myself depend on anyone else. They all let you down eventually.