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“We’ll be approaching Embershire Station in three minutes,” the conductor says over the speakers.

It took the majority of the trip, but Elise has managed to dig her way out of the trenches of some of what’s plaguing her.

She shared some of her fears with me about halfway into the train ride, explaining that her father is one of her best friends and she knows he’ll accept us but there might be some resistance.

But her biggest worry was about the toll her mental health might take on me, and that the thrill of our new relationship might be clouding her true feelings.

Growing up, I was always looking for a thrill, so I understand the sentiment, but I can tell this is different. I know it as fact, and in time, I hope she will too.

The fact that she says she has more to think about both tightens her hold on my throat and sends tiny sparks dancing in my chest. Because for someone like Elise, for someone like me , it can feel impossible to share all that’s in our heads.

Her taking the time to sit with her thoughts before moving on impulse means more to me than she could ever know, so when I said I’d be right here waiting for her to work it out for herself, I meant exactly that.

And something tells me she could use a bit of a distraction.

A slow smile tugs at the corners of my lips, a thought flickering to life in my mind, warm and promising. “Hey, trouble, have you ever been fucked on a railway?”

She rolls her eyes and sits up, her hands finding the waistband of her spandex shorts, sliding them down her toned thighs. She smirks as she says, “Nope, but I think I’m about to be…”