Page 51 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
I swallowed the pills dry. “I’m getting a headache.”
“From me? Are my thoughts too loud again?” His brow furrowed with what looked like genuine concern—a trick of the light?
“No, it’s not you. It’s just from driving all day.” And the amount of people in the restaurant with their noisy thoughts hadn’t helped. I rubbed my eyes. We were supposed to do the entire journey today—what was a ten-hour drive without any stops or traffic. But we still somehow had over half of it yet to go.
Rory squirmed in his seat. He was finding it difficult being trapped in the car all day, even if he hadn’t moaned—aloud—once.
“I wonder…” I said.
“What?”
“I wonder if it’ll be too late now by the time we get there? To your family’s estate, I mean. Maybe we should break up the drive by staying somewhere, then arriving tomorrow morning?”
Rory sighed with palpable relief. “Oh, thank god. I’m desperate to go for a run.”
A flash of imagery crossed my mind—Rory racing through woodland, fur gleaming gold in moonlight. I wasn’t sure if I’d picked it up from his thoughts or if it was my own imagination.
Though beneath the immediate relief, I sensed something else—gratitude for the extra preparation time before facing his family. The tension that had been building in him all day seemed to ease slightly.
I shifted the car back into drive. “We’re not stupidly far from the border. Should be loads of options there.”
“Yeah,” Rory agreed, leaning back into his seat.
As I pulled back onto the motorway, Rory promptly leaned against the window, his eyes drifting shut. Within minutes, Freddy had climbed onto his head, making a nest in his messy blond hair before curling into a small, grey ball. The ferret’s matted fur blended with Rory’s chaotic hairstyle in a way that would have been comical if it weren’t so… oddly endearing.
A few minutes later, Rory was fast asleep, his breathing deep and even. The constant energy that typically radiated from him had settledinto something peaceful.
I found my eyes drifting towards him every few minutes as I drove, still processing everything he’d told me earlier. The pain in his voice when he’d spoken about leaving his pack, the stark vulnerability when mentioning Issac. The levels of emotion that had radiated from him had been intense—waves of grief, loneliness, and a desperate need for acceptance that I hadn’t expected.
Strangely, I hadn’t minded dealing with it. There was something about seeing beneath Rory’s chaotic exterior that made me want to…
I shook my head.Understand him.Yes, that was it.
As we approached the border, the traffic worsened. Rory started to stir, stretching in the confined space like a cat waking from a nap. Freddy tumbled from his perch, landing in Rory’s lap with an indignant squeak.
“Where are we?” he mumbled, voice thick with sleep.
“Not far now.”
His leg immediately started bouncing, a nervous, restless energy returning to his body.
“Let’s find somewhere, then,” I suggested, noting his discomfort. “You’ve been trapped in this car long enough.”
“I’ll ring Felix to book somewhere,” Rory offered, reaching for his phone.
“He’s not your bloody PA, Rory. Look it up on your phone.”
Rory tapped at his screen, then frowned. “It’s dead.”
“Why is your phonealwaysdead?”
“I’ll use yours,” he said, reaching to yank my phone down from its navigation holder.
“No!” I snapped.
Rory’s hand froze mid-air. “Why don’t you want me on your phone?”
“Because I don’t.”
