(Aspen’s POV)
Something had shifted in the air. Slade seemed like a different person.
He was closer. Always within a step of me. It felt like he was keeping me close because he was scared of loosing me.
I didn’t know if the feeling was in my head or true.
He had started touching me, in a subtle, comforting way.
Just small, constant things that felt deliberate enough to make my chest tighten every time they happened.
A hand at my back when we walked through the house.
His fingers brushing mine when he handed me something.
The way he reached for me without looking, like he already knew I’d be there.
It unsettled me more than yelling ever had.
I stood at the counter pretending to focus on my phone while he moved around the kitchen behind me. The smell of coffee filled the air. He le
