“What is?”
“This. Just...talking. Not about cases or police questions.” She looks at me. “Just talking like normal people.”
“We are normal people.”
“Are we?” She smiles, but there’s something wistful in it. “Sometimes I forget what that feels like.”
I understand exactly what she means. When your job, or your sense of worth, revolves around others—you can lose track of your own life.
“For what it’s worth,” I say, “I think you’re doing pretty well at normal.”
“Liar,” she says, but she’s grinning.
“Okay, maybe you’re slightly more put-together than normal. But that blanket is very relatable.”
She laughs—real and unguarded. I’ll take it.
The storm rolls on outside, but in here, it feels warm. Easygoing.
“Noah?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re here.” She says it simply, without artifice.
The last time it mattered that I was somewhere, I wasn’t. I’ve been trying to square that ever since. I look toward the window. The rain hasn’t let up.
“So am I.”
She shifts on the couch, and for a moment, I think she’s going to say something else. Instead, she just pulls the blanket tighter and picks up her book.
But this time, when she opens it, I notice the faint smile.
I grab my phone and settle in, content to just sit here while the rain falls and the world outside stays quiet.
For the first time in weeks, there’s no rush. No immediate worry.
We’re just...here.
And that feels like enough.
Chapter
Ten
Alicia
We’ve been sitting here for over an hour, just talking about nothing important—his favorite running routes, my disastrous attempts at learning to cook when I first lived alone, the books we’ve been meaning to read. Easy conversation interspersed with comfortable silence. Then my phone lights up, shattering the quiet. I stare at Dorian’s name on the screen, resentful of the interruption.
The temptation to ignore his call is great, but temptation is not the path to greatness.
“Let me get this,” I say to Noah, holding up the phone.
He checks his watch. “It’s lunchtime anyway. You up for grilled cheese and tomato soup?”
“Where are you ordering that from?”
His grin is slow. “I’ll make it. When you’re done with the call, join me in the kitchen.”