Sara Michaels
The drive home felt longer than it should have. Every red light, every slow car in front of me, every turn I took toward that house made my stomach twist tighter.
Kingsley’s jacket was still around my shoulders, his scent clinging to it like a quiet promise I wasn’t ready to believe. My fingers gripped the wheel so hard my knuckles ached. Tom’s text sat heavy in my mind...cold words on a screen, but they felt like a hand around my throat.
*Where are you? Emily’s hungry. Get home and make something.*
I swallowed hard. The warmth from the café, from Ruby’s laugh, from Kingsley’s near-kiss...it all faded the closer I got to that driveway.
By the time I pulled in, my chest felt hollow again. Empty. Like someone had scooped out everything good and left only fear.
The light
