Page 238 of Before We Were

Whatever it takes.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

CHAPTER68

DANCING IN THE DARK

NORA

The air hangsthick with humidity, saltwater lapping against the dock that stretches into the lake like a wooden finger reaching for infinity. The familiar creak of weathered planks beneath me feels like home as I dangle my legs over the edge, letting the cool night air kiss my skin.

"Wonderwall"plays softly from my iPod, its familiar melody wrapping around me like muscle memory. Above, stars scatter across the vast darkness—nature's own light show against velvet black. I close my eyes and tilt my face toward the night air, and that's when I feel it—the shift in the atmosphere that always signals his presence.

My body knows before my mind does, responding to him like a compass finding true north. The air itself seems to rearrange around him, molecules dancing to accommodate his presence. It sends my heart into a familiar spiral of beats I can't control.

He's always felt like this—both known and new, like a song I've had memorized since before I first heard it. His absence leaves me hollow, an echo chamber waiting for sound. His presence lights up every nerve ending until I'm almost dizzy with awareness. Sometimes I think it's dangerous to need someone this much, to love with an intensity that borders on physical pain.

"Sorry," he says, voice rough. "Didn't mean to creep up on you."

When he steps closer, my stomach drops. His lip is swollen, his cheekbone painted in violent shades of purple and blue. He's favoring his left side, one arm wrapped protectively around his ribs. The sight of him—broken but still standing—fractures something inside me.

"Oh, my God, Nate," I whisper, scrambling to my feet as my heart pounds against my ribcage. "What happened to you?"

He shakes his head and eases himself down beside me, swallowing back a groan that makes my chest ache. I sink down next to him, fighting the urge to reach out, to try to piece him back together with my bare hands.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he mutters, staring out at the lake where moonlight plays across the water like scattered diamonds.

"Do you need—" The word 'hospital' dies on my tongue as he cuts me off.

"What I need is to just be here with you right now. Please, Nor." His voice is a plea wrapped in pain and something darker that makes my soul ache.

I've learned not to push when he's like this. Sometimes love means being still while someone weathers their own storm, offering shelter rather than solutions. But my heart rebels against the helplessness, thundering so hard I swear he must hear it echoing across the water. My fingers itch to trace his wounds, to heal more than just the physical damage.

His eyes meet mine, they’re guarded, but there's a vulnerability in them that pulls at something deep in my chest. Before I can stop myself, I lean in. When my lips meet his, I taste copper and pain—sharp and raw. The metallic tang of his blood lingers between us, but it only makes me hold him tighter, as if I could absorb his hurt through touch alone.

His hand slides to my neck, grip desperate like I might dissolve into thin air. The intensity of his need mirrors my own, making my pulse race beneath his fingers.

I shift onto his lap, straddling him, feeling heat radiate between us like a living thing. His hands find my waist, fingers pressing into the fabric of my dress as if memorizing the shape of me. Our heartbeats sync and still it's not enough. I want to crawl inside his soul and wash away years of hurt with nothing but love.

When his eyes lock with mine, they're raw amber, flecked with gold. There's something unguarded there that steals my breath—pure, unfiltered truth that makes my heart stutter in my chest.

"This has to stop, Nate," I whisper, my voice trembling but certain. "I know you think you deserve this pain, but you don't."

His forehead rests against mine, breath warm and ragged against my skin.

"I don't know anymore, Nora," he argues, but hope bleeds through his words.

"Nate," I brush my lips over his again, "I'm here. I’m not going anywhere."

I press closer, wishing I could pour every ounce of warmth I possess into his wounded soul. His grip tightens, pulling me in until there's nothing between us but shared breath and need. The world beyond the dock fades away—no pain, no past, no bruises or scars. Just us, two souls holding onto each other like we're the only real thing in this vast universe.

"If you won't go to the hospital, at least tell me what happened," I plead, fingers ghosting over his bruises. "Please don't lie to me."

He exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair before meeting my gaze. His eyes are dark wells of exhaustion, heavy with secrets that weigh on his shoulders like concrete.

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