Page 104 of What We Brave
She doesn't.
She burrows closer. Tucks her head under my chin like she belongs there.
I stop breathing.
This.This is what I wanted. Not sex, not romance, not any of the complicated shit I don't know how to navigate. Just this. Being the chest she hides against instead of the reason she's hiding. Feeling her trust me with her weight, her warmth, her presence.
Even if it's just for a minute. Even if she changes her mind tomorrow.
Right now, she's here. In my arms. And she's not pulling away.
"This is weird," Laine mumbles into my shirt.
My stomach bottoms out. "Good weird or bad weird?"
She's quiet for a beat. Her fingers tighten on my flannel.
"Good weird. I think."
I rest my chin on top of her head. Her hair smells like lavender. Same shampoo she's always used. I breathe it in and try to memorize it.
When I open my eyes, Reid's watching us. He's leaning against the stack of salvageable lumber, arms crossed, face carefully neutral.
Not angry. Not jealous. Just present. Waiting to see how this plays out.
Laine pulls back. Looks up at me. Then she turns and looks at Reid.
I see the decision cross her face before she moves. The deliberate squaring of her shoulders. The deep breath.
She steps out of my arms and crosses the garage to Reid. He opens automatically, instinctively, and she walks right into him. His arms wrap around her like they've done it a thousand times—because they have. His chin drops to her head. His eyes close.
They fit differently. More familiar. More practiced. They've heldeach other through bad shifts and hard days and all the normal relationship stuff I was never part of.
I wait for the jealousy.
It flickers. Hot and ugly, right behind my sternum. The old voice starts up:She went to him. She's more comfortable with him. You're the afterthought. You're always the fucking afterthought.
I clench my jaw. Breathe through it.
The voice is a liar. It's been lying to me for years. I'm done listening.
The jealousy fades. Doesn't disappear—I don't think it ever will completely—but it settles into background noise. Manageable. Because I'm not on the outside anymore. I'm not pressing my face into a pillow, trying not to hear them in the next room. I'm here. Part of this. Whatever this is.
Laine pulls back from Reid. Looks at him. Then she turns and looks at me.
Her eyes are searching. Analyzing. Testing.
She turns back to Reid. Rises on her toes.
And kisses him.
It's soft. Brief. A question more than a statement. Reid's hands tighten on her waist, and he makes a quiet sound against her mouth.
When she pulls back, her eyes find me immediately. Still searching. Still testing. Watching for the explosion.
I hold her gaze. Don't flinch. Don't look away.
She crosses back to me.
