chapter 10: storm glass
469 Words
The rain thickened as they crossed the bridge, the world beyond the windshield dissolving into a blur of gray water and streaked light. Franklyn slowed, cautious, though his chest felt anything but steady.
Beside him, Eliana had turned sideways in her seat, her body angled toward him as if the storm itself pressed her closer. She rested her elbow against the door, her chin in her hand, watching him with that same quiet intensity that unsettled him more than words ever could.
“You never answer directly,” she said after a long pause.
Franklyn’s eyes stayed fixed on the road. “I just did.”
“No,” Eliana murmured. “You deflected. That’s different.”
He tightened his grip on the wheel. “Some questions don’t have safe answers.”
She tilted her head, studying him in the glow of the dashboard lights. “And what if I don’t want the safe answer?”
Franklyn’s throat felt dry. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. His silence seemed to embolden her.
“You and Daniel,” she continued softly, “you’re like fire and ice. He burns through everything — all charm and sparks. But you… you’re the kind of cold that’s sharp, controlled. Still dangerous, though.”
Franklyn’s pulse jumped. “Dangerous?”
Her lips curved faintly, eyes holding his. “Yes.”
The car jolted slightly as wind swept across the bridge, breaking the moment. Franklyn cursed under his breath, adjusting the wheel, grateful for the distraction. But when he risked a glance at her, she was still watching him — calm, steady, unflinching.
Their hands rested on the console, close but not touching. The space between them felt smaller than it was, like gravity itself was pulling them together. Franklyn shifted, brushing his fingers against the gearshift — and for a fraction of a second, the back of his hand grazed hers.
It was nothing. An accident. But the jolt it sent through him was undeniable.
Eliana didn’t pull away. She didn’t move at all.
Franklyn forced his focus back on the road, every muscle tense, every nerve screaming. “We should get you home before Daniel worries.”
Eliana leaned back finally, her expression unreadable, but her voice carried a quiet echo of something unspoken. “Yes. Before he worries.”
The rest of the ride passed in silence, though neither of them felt it was empty anymore.
When Franklyn pulled up outside Daniel’s apartment, Eliana unbuckled her seatbelt slowly, her hand resting briefly on the door handle. She hesitated, just long enough for him to notice. Then she slipped out into the rain without another word.
Franklyn sat in the car, the storm still pounding around him, but it was nothing compared to the one that now lived inside his chest.
- Writer
