Page 192 of Chasing Infinity

Following her lead, I tug off my jeans and pull my shirt over my head. I crawl into bed behind her, pulling her body as close to mine as possible. She nestles back against the heat of my chest and lets out a big sigh.

“I love you, Noah,” she whispers.

I lean over and press a kiss into the juncture of her neck. “I love you too, Parks. More than you could ever know.”

She makes a cute noise of appreciation, and before I can even count to ten, her breathing evens out, and she’s snoring slightly. I follow soon after, letting my body get the rest it’s desperately craved since everything went down.

* * *

A week later, I sneak into the bedroom in the early hours and gently shake Addison awake. The sky outside is black, and the room is covered in darkness. Addison stirs gently under my touch and groans.

“Noah?”

“Hey,” I whisper, giving her a soft grin.

“What are you doing?” she asks and then glances over at her alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. “Why so early?”

“I have a surprise for you,” I say. “Come on, get up. You can stay in your pajamas. Maybe just grab a sweatshirt.”

Addison does as I ask, shooting me confused glances as I lead her out of the bedroom into the kitchen. I hand her a mug off the counter. She raises an eyebrow at me.

“Coffee,” I say as an explanation, and she nods her head before taking a grateful sip.

As soon as she’s got caffeine in her system, she looks at me sideways. “Okay,noware you going to tell me where we’re going?”

I press my lips together to hide my smile and shake my head. I’ve been concocting this plan for the last few days, and I’m not about to spoil it now. I grab the bag I packed prior and lead her out of the apartment and downstairs to the street.

Ever since we got home from the hospital, Addison has felt like she’s been off. She’s gone down to the diner a few times but hasn’t stayed past dark. She filled me in on what happened the night she was taken, and I can understand why she’d be wary of staying as soon as the sun goes down.

I haven’t been able to find a way to help her, and I’m not sure if I even can. This might be something that she has to work through herself with time. The doctors gave her a list of professionals to help her work through the trauma. I think Addison is considering looking into it. I hope my surprise will help her feel more like herself, so we can move forward together.

It’s not a very original idea, but I’m crossing my fingers that it will play out just as well as last time.

“Noah,” Addison whines as I take her hand and drag her down Main Street.

The town is still fast asleep, aside from the few stragglers and early risers. I lead her away from the diner, past the small park, and toward the old clock tower, sitting proudly as the focal point of the town square.

The door is easy to open, practically rotted out from years of disrepair. Addison is quiet as I lead her in, and I suspect she’s already guessed my secret plan—as I mentioned, it’s not anoriginalidea, after all.

When we reach the attic, I swing the bag off my shoulder and pull out the blanket I brought along. I toss the fuzzy thing down on the dusty floor, spreading it out close enough to the window so we can watch the show comfortably.

Like she did last time, Parks walks over to the window, looking down our town square. Once the blanket is spread out, I sit down, getting as comfortable as possible.

“Hey,” I say, pulling her attention back to me. “Come here.”

She does as I ask, coming to sit next to me. The warmth from her body seeps into mine, and my heart swells with adoration for this woman. I reach over to my bag and pull out a smaller, lighter blanket I brought as a spare.

I wrap it around the two of us, ensuring our shoulders are covered. Addison is now watching me as she takes a sip of her coffee. Her eyes are sparkling, and I can’t help the smile that fights its way onto my face.

“You think you’re pretty slick, don’t you?” she asks, amusement lacing her tone.

I grin now, feeling accomplished. “Maybe just a little bit. Are you surprised?”

“I won’t lie. I don’t think I ever would have guessed that this was it. When’s the last time we were here?”

I shrug a shoulder. “Probably when we were like seventeen or something.”

She blows out a breath. “That was alongtime ago.”

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