Page 104 of Fire of the Fox

The idea of Dallas going and hiding in the shadows was actually a pleasant concept. It brought me some relief, surprisingly, and after promising to text her the details about what had really been going on between Rune and me, as well as to form a plan for how this would go, I left the dorm with far more answers than when I’d arrived, but also a thousand more questions.

Rune was waiting right at the door when I walked inside. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his tone was frantic when he asked, “Where have you been? It’s past midnight! Are you okay? What happened?”

I closed my eyes at the barrage of questions and clutched my head. Which didn’t hurt. I definitely should’ve had a migraine at this point. But nope. Just a scattered mess of problems.

“Sorry. I, uh, was feeling a bit bad. I drove around and got some fresh air at a nearby park.”

“Feeling bad?” Rune asked, his voice suddenly less frantic and more concerned. “Are you sick?”

I shook my head. “Just a lot going on. It’s been a while since I’ve had time to myself to process everything, you know? I thought tonight might be a good time to get away and de-stress before we leave.”

The concern etched into his mouth and eyes made my guilt spike. He’d been genuinely worried, probably thinking the worst had happened. Which it nearly had.

I gripped his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry for not calling. That was wrong of me. I didn’t even think about what that would do to you. I’m really sorry.”

He took a deep breath and pulled me into a tight hug. It was a surprising gesture, and I didn’t realize how much I needed it until his warm arms were around me, holding me to his firm chest. Squeezing my eyes shut, I wrapped my arms around him and held on like he was my life preserver. I was drowning in all the chaos around me, but he was here to keep me afloat and to remind me to keep swimming.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You’ve had to deal with a lot these past few months, and I didn’t realize it was taking a toll on you. If you don’t want to go on the trip, I—”

“No.” I shook my head and looked up at him. “I want to do this. It’s what we’ve been working so hard for.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes pleaded with mine to be honest. He cared more about what I wanted in this moment than what not going through with his plan would mean for him.

“I’m sure. I just needed those few hours to myself. I’ll be fine now.” I mentally screamed, knowing that was time I’d never get.

He tilted his head to the side, pondering. “Do you want tomorrow to yourself, too? I’d understand if you did since it’s the last day before we leave.”

I smiled at him. “Honestly? I think I’d like to do something normal tomorrow. I could really use some normal.”

Pursing his lips, he nodded. “Normal. I can make normal happen. All right. Tomorrow, you and me. Normal. It’s a date.”

Chapter Forty-Three

“SO WHERE ARE we going?” I asked, feeling extra giddy inside.

Rune laughed. “You’re gonna have to wait and see. I’m not spoiling anything.”

Resting back in my seat, I tried to wait as patiently as I could while Rune drove to our unknown destination. He’d been true to his word all day. We had slept in, him on the couch and me in his bed. We had followed that up with a very nice breakfast of cinnamon rolls. After spending the better part of the day lounging around on the couch and watching TV, Rune had announced it was time to get changed. He was taking me out.

It wasn’t much farther until we arrived at a large field at the base of some tree-topped mountains. We’d taken my car because Rune had brought secret supplies that couldn’t fit in his.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, following him around to my trunk. “Are we hiking?”

He had told me to wear something I didn’t mind getting dirty, but it never occurred to me to also wear something comfy, should we be doing a lot of walking. My jeans suddenly felt a bit too snug.

He shook his head and laughed. “Not quite.” The lid of my trunk opened, and he reached in to grab a large basket, which he handed to me. He flung a blanket over his shoulder, then reached back in to grab a large, blank canvas and a box of paints and brushes.

Meeting my eyes, he smiled. “I thought a private picnic and painting session sounded nice. Gives you fresh air, privacy, and a chance to do something you love.”

Emotion clogged my throat, and I found myself unable to speak. He probably had no idea how much this meant or how insanely happy he made me. He was giving me such a needed distraction, but he himself was the greatest gift. His presence. His smile. His thoughtfulness. He meant the world to me, and after all he’d done, I was determined to tell him just that.

I was done pretending.

I wanted this to be real, for us to be real.

“Come on.”

He gestured toward the field, and together, we made our way through the grass. We found a nice spot about halfway to the base of the mountain where the trees started. He laid out the large blanket and unpacked the picnic basket. Waters, a thermos with hot chocolate and marshmallows, sandwiches, a fruit tray—he’d thought of it all, including all the paints and brushes I’d possibly want.

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