Page 6 of You Found Me in the Dark
I let out a breath. “But what if something happens between us?”
“It might,” Lena said. “But sometimes things need to happen or change, especially if they’ve been stuck for a long time.”
I dropped my forehead onto my arms and groaned. “Since when are you this wise?”
She grinned. “Since I became the unsolicited therapist for sad girls who catch feelings for tattooed men with emotional issues.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. God, it feltsogood to laugh.
“Shut up,” I said, shaking my head.
“I’ll shut up after we watch bad TV and I make you something green to eat.”
She got up from the table and walked toward the items she had dumped out earlier. I watched her move around the kitchen like she belonged there.
And for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t feel like Ihadto hold it all together. I didn’t have to pretend I wasn’t unraveling at the seams.
6
WREN
It was later in the evening, and I was still wearing my pajamas from last night. I guess I just didn’t have the energy to pull myself together. My wavy auburn hair was twisted into a messy bun, loose strands falling around my face. Dark circles sat under my hazel eyes, the result of too little sleep. Or maybe I was at the age where I needed under-eye cream?
Honestly, I was grateful Lena stopped by when she did. It was nice to spend practically the whole day with her. If she hadn’t come, I probably wouldn’t have eaten at all today. Sometimes, when my mind gets too loud, I forget my body still has needs.
Lena had left about an hour ago with a hug that lasted a little too long for my liking and a look I couldn’t quite meet.
The quiet had settled back over our small house like a familiar blanket.
Until the knock at the door.
Cam didn’t even pause his game.
“Can you get that?”
I dragged myself off the couch, set my unopened sketchbook on the oak coffee table, and opened the door.
And there he was. Again.
Reed.
Wearing a black hoodie, sleeves shoved up just enough to expose a new tattoo on his forearm. A raven. It looked half-drawn or half-finished. Almost like it was still in motion. It suited him. It was precise but not perfect.
His dark brown hair was slightly messy—like he’d showered but hadn’t cared enough to style it. His emerald green eyes met my hazel eyes, and it was like my lungs forgot how to work.
“Hey,” he said softly, voice low and even.
I nodded, stepping aside.
“Cam’s in the living room.”
He walked past me, and I felt it again. That buzz just beneath the skin, like something between us had cracked open, and neither of us knew what to do with it.
I didn’t follow him right away. I leaned against the door frame, watching him move through the house like he’d been here a hundred times. Well, technically, he had. But now it felt… different.
“Hey, man,” Cam said, tossing the controller down and giving him his attention. “Took you long enough.”
“Had to stop by the shop first,” Reed replied, pointing to his tattoo.
