Chapter 15
I couldn’t find the words. I just stared, feeling colder by the second.
Jenny looked uncomfortable, like she suddenly realized what she’d said-but instead of apologizing, she
grabbed her bag.
“Anyway. I should get going. I’ll see you around.”
She left before I could even blink.
I stayed put, too stunned to move. After a few minutes, I pulled out my phone. No cabs. I called Adam. No answer. I tried another car app. Nothing available nearby. So I walked.
The farther I got from the cafe, the less familiar the streets became. Stores gave way to warehouses and faded signs. A couple of guys leaned against a fence, laughing too loudly. I crossed to the other side, heart pounding.
“Hey, sweetheart-where you headed?”
I ignored them.
“Don’t be rude, baby-smile a little.”
I walked faster, clutching my bag like it was a shield. Behind me, footsteps shuffled-too slow to match a
normal pace, too deliberate to be random. One of the men from the corner called out again, voice slurred with
mock sweetness.
“What’s in the bag, honey? Something for me?” I didn’t look back. I didn’t breathe.
I just kept moving, faster now, my heartbeat thudding so hard I could hear it in my ears. A whistle sliced
through the air, followed by a low, guttural laugh that made my stomach twist. Someone muttered something
crude-loud enough to be heard, soft enough that I couldn’t pretend it was anything but intentional. I didn’t
dare turn around. I just focused on the next step. And the next.
Then a horn blared-short and sharp. I jumped. A black car had pulled up beside me, window down. The
passenger door swung open.
It was Nathan.
“Get in,” he said. His tone left no room for argument.
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Chapter 15
I slid inside, barely registering the warm air. And then I saw him.
Richard.
In the backseat. Calm. Watchful.
His eyes scanned me, expression unreadable. “Why are you out here alone?”
“I was with Jenny. I didn’t think it would get this late.”
His eyes drifted to my jacket-thin and useless in the cold.
Without a word, he pulled off his coat and handed it to me. He didn’t ask. He didn’t hesitate. Just… did it.
It smelled like cedar and something sharper-like him. I pulled it close.
“Jenny’s friend,” I said slowly. “He really got sent away?”
Richard didn’t look surprised. “So she told you.”
I nodded. “She thinks the punishment was too harsh.”
His jaw tightened. “He’s lucky I didn’t press charges.”
He turned his head slightly, eyes fixed on the window now. “That kid’s a danger. He doesn’t belong near people,
let alone at events like that.”
I hesitated. “She’s still my friend. I don’t want this to ruin everything.”
“She’s not acting like your friend,” he said bluntly. “And she hasn’t listened to a thing I’ve said in months.”
I wanted to push back-to defend her. Jenny could be thoughtless, yes, but she wasn’t heartless. Not really. Maybe she just didn’t understand the full weight of what had happened. Maybe she was still trying to protect herself from what it meant that someone she knew, someone she called a friend, had done something like that.
It didn’t excuse it, but I didn’t want to give up on her. Not yet.
I laughed under my breath. Then it faded.
“I just… feel like I should’ve done something. Anything.”
“You were the one who got hurt,” Richard said firmly. “You don’t owe anyone anything. Not Jenny. Not me. Not
anyone.”
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Chapter th
+25 BONUS
I looked down at my hands, fingers tugging at the cuffs of his coat. The weight of it made me feel small in a way
that was strangely comforting.
His voice softened. “You’re allowed to be upset. You’re allowed to carry that however you need.”
We rode in silence after that. Not awkward-just quiet. Steady.
Then Richard leaned forward, reached into the rear compartment, and pulled out a small box.
“I almost forgot,” he said. “I heard it was your birthday recently.”
He handed it to me and my breath caught.
“You didn’t have to,” I whispered.
“I know,” he said.
And something about the way he said it made my chest flutter.
“I just thought you deserved something nice.”
I stared down at the gift, overwhelmed by everything it meant.
Because this-this moment, this gift, this man-made everything else fade away.
And I didn’t know how to thank him.
Not yet.
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