Page 128 of Traitor

I pushed as far as I could tonight. Now, it's her choice.

It feels like eternity is stretching before me, an endless road of waiting, of never knowing if I'll ever get her back in any way that fucking matters. Fear whispers its ugly truths in the back of my mind. That she'll never remember the good. That only the bad will remain, festering like an open wound between us. That every moment where our souls connected, where she was mine, is dead. Forgotten. Buried under the weight of my sins.

I'm drowning in my own thoughts, trying to seem unaffected, when her hand moves. Just barely.

Her fingers brush against mine, the softest fucking touch, like a ghost of something lost. Then, just as quickly, she snatches her hand back and stands from her chair.

"I'll go for a ride," she says, her voice firm, unyielding. Like a warning. Like a fucking wall. "But it doesn't mean anything, Bones. I just want to do it because I liked it before."

I nod, forcing a small smile even as my ribs tighten around my lungs. "I understand."

It feels like I just crawled out from under a fucking mountain.

The road stretches ahead of us, an endless ribbon of asphalt winding through the trees. The cool night air whips against my skin, but I barely feel it. All I feel is her.

Her arms around me. The press of her body against my back. The way she shifts slightly, tilting her head toward the sky, soaking in the stars above. We move together, in sync, with every curve of the road, every shift in the wind, as if we were made for this. As if we were made for each other.

The heat of her body burns through my cut, through my shirt, straight into my fucking soul. I feel alive again.

And yet, it's like holding a flame in my hands. Beautiful, intoxicating, but impossible to hold onto forever. Because I know this moment is fleeting. I know that this is temporary. That no matter how much I want to keep her here, with me, it will disappear like smoke slipping through my fingers.

But for now?

Fuck if I won't savor every second of it.

The towering trees blur past us, shadows swallowed by the night. She tightens her hold around me, and I swear, I could die in this moment and be okay with it.

Just her. Always just her.

An hour later, I pull into the viewpoint I found on one of the nights when desperation rode me too hard, when I needed to escape. The air is crisp, still, untouched. Silverpine lies in the distance, a soft glimmer. The moon oversees everything like an ancient goddess. And the goddess beside me takes everything in with a deep serenity. A serenity I haven't seen in her ever since I came back into her life.

The world feels smaller up here. Quiet. Like it's waiting for something to happen.

"I've been living here for over four years, and yet I never found this spot," she whispers in awe, her voice carrying into the night. "It's so beautiful."

I keep my eyes on her. "Definitely beautiful." She doesn't see me looking at her when I say it.

I reach into my saddlebag, pulling out the small box I've been waiting to give her. "I have something for you."

She turns, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? The bike ride wasn't enough?"

Her tone is teasing, light, playful. It slams into my chest with the force of a cannon ball. I didn't think I'd ever hear that again. That small glimpse of the woman I lost. For months, I've had to force hope into my chest, beat it into submission just to keep from falling apart. I had to believe that maybe, just once, she'd look at me without hate again.

And now, here she is, standing before me, no venom in her words, no anger in her eyes.

I clear my throat, swallowing past the ache threatening to choke me. "I remember how much you liked these when we went to that German shop. You bought their entire stash." I hand her the box, watching her reaction.

She blinks, and for a second, I see the old her. The wide, round eyes, the excitement barely contained in her features.

"Heidi's chocolate-covered plums..." she whispers, clutching the box to her chest like it's a lifeline. "I haven't been able to order these here. Did you know the brand's not even German? I don't know why they had these in that shop! You are absolutely awful for this! I managed to regift everything you left on my porch until now!" She glares at the box like it personally betrayed her. "I can't regift this!"

I feign offense. "You've been giving away all of my gifts?"

She looks at me like I'm a complete idiot. "What did you think I would do?"

Then, she pauses, tilting her head slightly, a smug smirk curling her lips. "Be thankful I didn't take out a restraining order against you. I played around with the idea for a long time."

I chuckle, shaking my head. "It wouldn't have stopped me."

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