Page 42 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

I let out a soft, bitter laugh. “That’s an understatement.”

For a moment, the only sound was the soft crunch of the snow beneath the trees, the rhythmic breathing of the night.

“You seem different out here,” I told him.

“Different how?”

“Calmer. More… settled.”

Ryan looked at me, his expression thoughtful. “Maybe because I am. Out here, it’s just us and the quiet. No noise, no distractions.” He paused, his gaze meeting mine, steady and unwavering. “Sometimes it’s easier to think when everything else is stripped away.”

I nodded slowly, the weight of his words sinking in. That was exactly what I’d been craving. Clarity, a moment to sort through the mess in my head.

He shifted closer, just enough to close the distance between us without making me feel crowded. His presence seemed to settle into me, like he was a part of the stillness of the night.

“You don’t have to say anything, Lila. But if you need to talk, I’m here.”

The sincerity in his voice hit something deep inside me. My throat tightened and I blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

Instead, I stared out at the snow, my breath fogging the cold air.

“I feel like I’m being pulled in so many directions,” I admitted. “And I don’t know how to handle it.”

Ryan didn’t say anything right away, but I could feel him listening, really listening. When he did speak, it was with that same calm, grounded tone.

“You don’t have to figure it all out tonight. Or tomorrow. Take it one step at a time. You’ve already been through so much. No one expects you to have it all figured out immediately.”

I looked up at him, drawn in by the quiet confidence in his expression. “How do you stay so… calm?”

He smiled faintly, the curve of his lips soft.

“Years of practice,” he said with a shrug, but there was something in his eyes, something that hinted at deeper truths. “And realizing that some things are out of my control.”

I let his words settle into my chest, feeling a small measure of the tension ease.

“Thanks,” I whispered.

“For what?”

“For being… you,” I replied, meeting his eyes.

We stood there for a long moment, my heart racing as I searched his gaze.

There was something in his eyes now… something deeper, flickering with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. But it made my chest tighten.

The alcohol in my system had already given me a little more courage than usual, a little more desire to reach across the distance that had been so carefully built between us.

Maybe it was the way it smoothed the edges of my nerves, or the way it lit a fire inside me.

Whatever it was, I couldn’t ignore it.

I swallowed hard, trying to catch my breath, but my pulse raced as I felt the heat between us build even further.

And then, he did something that made the world spin a little faster.

Slowly, he lowered his forehead to rest against mine, our breaths mingling in the cold night air.

His body was so close, but it felt like the space between us was filled with something that was pulling me in, making me want to close the distance even more.

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