“All of it.” I looked at her–really looked at her. At the woman I’d wanted for six years, the woman who was finally mine. “I’m ready for it all. Been ready.”
Stormie was quiet for a second, processing. Then she smiled. “Okay.”
“Aight?”
“Yeah.”
I kissed her, slow and deep, and felt something settle in my chest. The future was already set. I stood up, carrying her with me, and she wrapped her legs around my waist.
She giggled. “Where are we going?”
“Shower. I’m going for twins.”
She grinned against my neck. “Lord, help me.”
I carried her down the hall, the movie still playing in the background, forgotten. We had all night. And I was going to make sure she knew I was dead serious.
We woke up tangled together, the sheets twisted around our legs. The rain had finally stopped completely, and the sun was shining into the room like a new day.
I could hear the birds outside, chirping like they were happy the storm had passed, too. I turned my head and saw Kade beside me, still asleep. His arm was draped over my waist, his face relaxed, his breathing slow and even. He looked peaceful, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
I wished I felt the same because the weekend was over, which meant we had to leave. Back to real life. Family. Friends. Back to everything that existed outside this cabin. And I had no idea what that looked like.
I stared at the ceiling with my chest tight. We’d spent the entire weekend in this bubble–just us, no distractions, nooutside world. It had been easy to fall into this routine, to let myself believe it was real.
But what was actually going to happen when we left? What would happen when our parents found out? When everyone in our friend group realized Kade and I weren’t just best friends anymore? When I had to explain to people that we’d crossed a line we could never uncross?
What if we didn’t work out? What if we got back to the real world and realized this was just... cabin fever? A weekend of pent-up tension finally breaking, and nothing more? Just thinking about it had my throat tight and my breathing ragged.
“You’re thinking too loud.”
I looked over to see that Kade’s eyes were open now, watching me. “I’m not thinking anything,” I said.
“You’ve always been a bad liar, Storm.”
I sighed. “Fine. I guess I’m in my head a little.”
“About what?”
“About... leaving.”
He didn’t say anything for a second. Just watched me, his hand sliding up to rest on my hip. “You scared?” he asked.
“A little. I can’t lie.”
“Of what?”
I hesitated. “Of what happens when we leave here. When we go back to real life. When people find out.”
“People?”
“Yes, everybody.”
Kade was quiet for a moment. “You think they’re gonna have a problem with it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I mean, we’ve been best friends for six years. They’re gonna think it’s weird.”
“Let them think whatever.”