Page 146 of Chasing Infinity

“I’ll pass,” Charlie grumbles. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me. The last few hours have been so intense that watching Charlie and Noah banter like they’ve always had feels like a breath of fresh air. I’m aware of Noah’s gaze on me, and I turn to see him beaming, a gentle smile on his face.

“I’m so glad you’re awake,” I tell him softly.

“Me too,” he says, his eyes warm as they roam over my face. “I’m sorry.”

My eyes start to burn again as I sit next to him. Intertwining our hands, I raise his up and press a kiss to the back of it before pressing it to my cheek. “Please don’t do that to me again.”

“I’ll try. I love you, Parks,” he says, his eyes gleaming. “I’m sorry I couldn’t say it last night.”

A tear slips out of the corner of my eye, and I cup the side of Noah’s jaw. “You were a little busy, trying not to die. I love you too, Noah. More than I could have ever possibly imagined.”

Noah’s lips turn up, and then he leans forward. I catch onto what he wants and close the distance between us, pressing my lips to his for the second time since he’s woken up. Fireworks explode behind my eyes, and I lean further into the kiss.

Charlie clears his throat behind us, and I pull away to stare at my friend, annoyed. “Sorry to interrupt this super disgusting moment,” Charlie starts, shooting me a sympathetic look. “But I need to talk to Noah for a few minutes. Alone.”

“Okay,” I whisper, glancing over at Noah, watching me with observant eyes. “How long is it going to take?”

“Not very long, but why don’t you go home and get some rest?” Charlie asks.

I open my mouth to protest, but Noah stops me with a hand on my forearm. I dart my eyes down to him, and he gives me an encouraging smile. “It’s okay, Parks. I’ll still be here when you get back. I don’t think they will let me bust out of here anytime soon.”

A long breath leaves my lungs, and I nod, knowing deep down that Ishouldget out of here for an hour or two. I’m starting to get a little stir-crazy from the white sterile surfaces and harsh cleaning agents.

Leaving the hospital feels like leaving a part of my soul behind. Now that I’ve got Noah back, I can’t imagine my life without him. It’s crazy how quickly and easily he could slide back in.

It will be a long time before I forget the fear I felt when I heard the car crash into Noah over the phone. That sickening sound of metal hitting metal still rings in my ears; Noah’s swears like daggers to my heart. Maybe I can admit it now, knowing that Noah’s alive, but I was worried I would never see him again.

When I get home, I stop by the diner for a moment, sayinghito Jack and ensuring everything is running smoothly. He gives me a big hug but tells me not to worry and take as much time as I need and that he’ll handle everything. I wave at a few familiar guests before disappearing upstairs towards my home.

My apartment feels empty, the silence like a thick blanket covering my surroundings. I glance around, taking everything in as I set my keys on the stand near the door. Taking a shaky breath, I walk into the apartment, overwhelmed by the idea that just last night, I was moving Noah’s things into my bedroom as a surprise. I was hoping we would be moving into the next phase of our relationship together.

Hopefully, that will still be the case, but there will need to be some conversations before then. I’m done being kept in the dark, especially given the events of last night. It’s time for everyone to come clean so we can move forward together.

Even though I know I should take a nap or a hot shower, I have too much energy running through my body. Instead, I pull on a pair of running leggings and a long sleeve shirt. I slip on my tennis shoes and grab my phone and keys, locking my door behind me.

When I make it outside, I pause for a second, noticing one of Charlie’s deputy’s cars sitting across the street from me. The officer inside looks up at me as I stand there, straightening my hair in my ponytail, but he doesn’t make a move other than dipping his chin at me.

I grumble under my breath and decide I need to talk to Charlie later and inform him I don’t need babysitting.

As soon as my feet hit the concrete of the sidewalk in front of the diner, I take off. The muscles in my legs pump as I propel myself forward, trying to run away from my problems.

Noah might be awake and coherent now, but I still can’t shake the overwhelming feeling that something still isn’tright. I need to sit down and talk to him and make him tell me everything that’s going on. After finding his badge in his things last night before the shit hit the fan, I kind of have a pretty good idea of the situation, but I need him to tell me.

The weight of everything crashes into me with every strike of my heel against the pavement. I push my muscles harder and harder, trying to erase the images of the EMTs rolling Noah into the ER on a gurney, his skin almost blue. My breathing becomes more labored the harder I run, and I see black spots in my vision.

The world is closing in on me, and my chest feels like I have a 50-ton weight pressing against it. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to breathe normally again.

I finally reach a screeching halt on the pavement, hunching over my knees and letting out a soul-wracking sob. My eyes squeeze shut to block the images from flooding my brain, but it almost makes it worse. My ears are ringing as the world spins around me. I take shallow breaths in and out, unable to catch a full breath.

Noah could’vediedlast night.

My life has held a lot of loss, but that might have been the thing that would’ve broken me. I just got Noah back, thinking I could have lost him forever? It’s unfathomable.

It feels like I’m going to split in half from the pain emanating from within me. A sense of dread threatens to consume my entire being.

And then…

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