Page 17 of Keep Me Safe

kira

Did that just happen? Noah Keller held me in his lap while I cried. Oh my god.

His strong arms wrapped around me, warm and steady, like the world outside didn’t matter anymore. For a few moments, I forgot everything else. It felt so… safe. Soright. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that safe before. Maybe I’ve never let myself feel safe. But now, the thought of him letting go of me—of this fragile calm—frightens me more than it should.

I didn’t want him to pull away, but then… I shifted, and suddenly, I could feel his body under me—strong,hard—and oh my god,did I just ask him if I hurt him?

My face is burning with embarrassment. I want to bury my head in the seat. Noah clears his throat, dragging me back to the present moment. Looking up at him, I see his patience—like he’s waiting for me to catch up with him. Right. He asked if I wanted ice cream.

“Oh, yeah, that would be nice,” I mutter, still blushing.

We climb into his truck, and the silence between us fills the space. The engine hums to life, and then he flicks on the radio. I watch him, his hands steady on the wheel, eyes locked on the road ahead. There’s something about the way he drives—easy, like he’s in control of everything around him. And I can’t help but notice howmassivehis hands look, gripping that wheel like it’s the only thing holding him together. His tattooed arms strain against the fabric of his shirt, and I can’t stop myself fromstaring.

My thoughts tumble, and suddenly, guilt creeps in. He didn’t deserve to be part of my breakdown. I shouldn’t have unloaded all that on him. He’s just… a guy who’s trying to be kind. And here I am, making him shoulder my mess.

“I’m sorry for losing it a little tonight. You didn’t deserve to deal with that,” I say. He glances over at me. His eyes moving down my body before shooting back to the road ahead.

“Don’t apologize.”

Before I can say anything else, we turn into the parking lot of the ice cream shop. There’s a pretty long line, but it doesn’t take long to get to the front.

“What can I get for you guys?” the lady asks.

I feel him behind me, the warmth of his body comforting me.

“I’ll take a chocolate milkshake, and she’ll have…Kira, what would you like?”

I look at the menu. Mom would have told me to get the sorbet.

You don’t need the extra calories.

Screw that.

“I would like a medium strawberry hard serve in a cone, please.”

Before I can get my wallet out, Noah hands her his card.

“You don’t have to pay for me,” I say.

“I invited you out for ice cream, which means I pay for the ice cream,”he replies.

Grabbing my cone, I stride back to the truck.

“Why don’t we eat here?” Noah asks, gesturing to all of the empty picnic tables.

“It’s cold outside. I wanna eat in the truck,” I whine.

“It’s sixty degrees, it is not that cold.”

I look him dead in the eyes and climb into the seat, shutting the door and taking a lick of my ice cream. He looks at me exasperated and opens his door.

“You can be a brat when you want to be, you know that?” he laughs.

“I know,” I say, shrugging.

Why do I feel like that wasn’t a complaint?

After we finish our ice cream, Noah looks at me, his expression tight and serious. He hesitates for a second as if he’s not sure how to say what’s on his mind. Finally, he speaks, his voice careful.“Listen, Kira, about earlier… that was completely inappropriate of me. It didn’t mean anything. I just saw you upset, and I wanted to help.”

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