Page 87 of You Found Me in the Dark
REED
Lena yawned loudly, stretching her arms high above her head. “Okay, fire friends. I’m calling it. If I keep drinking, I’m gonna end up passing out before we get to the parking lot.” She stood up and began folding her blanket. She clearly wasn’t drunk, but it was getting late.
Dax leaned in, ever the opportunist. “You could just come home with me. I am sure I could find a way to keep you up.”
Lena rolled her eyes so hard it looked like it hurt. “In your dreams, Marlowe.” But she still cracked a smile and grabbed a water bottle from the cooler.
The fire had burned low, barely more than a faint orange glow in a cradle of ash. I grabbed a bottle of water and doused the rest, steam hissing as it met the embers. Everyone moved slower now, quieter, the buzz of the night fading into something softer.
Cam and a pretty drunk Harper were still gathering the last of the chairs and empty drinks. Dax and Lena had already disappeared down the path, arguing like they hadn’t just been flirting for the last hour.
Wren and I were the first ones back at the car. The air was cooler now, the breeze off the lake wrapping around us. I popped the trunk and started loading in our stuff—blankets, cooler, snacks. She handed me things without speaking, eyes sleepy but glowing in the moonlight.
Once we’d packed the last of it, we slid into the backseat. The doors shut with that soft thunk, and for a moment, everything went still. The windows fogged slightly from the warmth of our breath, and the world outside was hushed.
She turned around so she was straddling me. “Hey,” she said, voice low and raw in that way that always got me.
“Yeah?”
Wren reached for my hand, lacing her fingers through mine. “I love you.”
I blinked, my chest tightening in the best way. Her words were clear—no hesitation, no performance. Just her truth.
“I mean it, Reed,” she went on. “You’re… you’re it for me. I don’t know what the hell I was doing before you. I don’t think I want to remember.”
I leaned in, brushing my forehead against hers, her hair still carrying the scent of lake air and smoke. “I love you too,” I whispered. “You have no idea how much.”
“Stay over tonight?” she murmured, her thumb brushing the inside of my wrist.
I kissed her, slow and deep, the kind of kiss that said yes to everything. My hands cradled her jaw, and I kissed her until I forgot the rest of the world.
The trunk closed, breaking the spell.
Lena slid into the back seat while I slid out from underneath Wren and made my way to the driver’s seat. Harper took her place on Lena’s lap, and Cam joined me in the front.
The drive was short, maybe ten minutes, but the quiet made it feel longer. Wren was curled up in the backseat, asleep. Harper had fallen asleep on Lena’s, her head resting against the window, lips parted slightly, and probably drooling.
Cam didn’t say anything, just kept his eyes on the road while I drove.
By the time we pulled into Wren’s driveway, everything felt still. The stars blinked above us, and the gravel crunched under the tires like the night didn’t want to end yet.
“I got Wren,” I murmured, already slipping out.
Cam came around and carefully scooped Harper up, her head lolling against his shoulder like it was second nature. Neither girl stirred as we brought them inside. Lena followed close behind us, trying not to make too much noise. We laid them down in Wren’s bed, Harper first, then Wren right beside her. She shifted in her sleep, her fingers brushing Harper’s arm, and then she settled again.
Lena brushed past Cam as she headed to the guest room to crash. Cam stood in the doorway, watching for a beat longer than necessary. I quickly walked towards him, neither of us saying a word until the door to Wren’s room clicked shut behind us. We went back out to the living room and he dropped onto the couch with a tired exhale. I stood for a second, leaning against the wall.
“You good?” I asked.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah. Just… a lot in my head lately.”
I nodded, watching him. “Want to talk about it?”
He didn’t answer right away.
“I’m not trying to be a dick, Cam,” I added. “I just… I see the way you are around Harper.”
That got his attention. His eyes cut to mine, guarded. “Nothing is going on, Reed. I already told you.”
