CHAPTER FOUR: CLOSE ENOUGH TO FALL
809 Words
The next morning, the soft hum of rain against the windows pulled me out of sleep.
For a second, I forgot where I was, until I saw the faint golden glow of Josh’s living room and remembered: he’d insisted I stay the night after I got discharged.
I pushed myself up, still weak, wrapped in one of his oversized hoodies that smelled faintly of detergent and something warm, something like him.
Josh emerged from the hallway, hair damp from a shower, a towel hanging loosely around his neck. His grey sweatpants sat low on his hips, and his wet hair glistened under the ceiling light. I tried not to stare… and failed miserably.
He caught my gaze and smiled knowingly. “You’re awake.”
“Barely,” I mumbled, my cheeks heating.
He moved closer, holding two mugs of coffee. “Thought you could use this. You slept through half the morning.”
“Thanks,” I said, accepting it carefully. Our fingers brushed, and something unspoken lingered in the air.
I looked away, my chest aching softly.
Josh sat beside me, watching the rain blur the glass. “You know,” he said, “you can stay here as long as you need. No rush to get back home.”
I hesitated, wrapping my hands around the mug. “About that… I don’t think I can go back. Not yet.”
He turned to me, brows knitting. “Why not?”
I exhaled, my voice small. “He knows where I live. My ex. I keep thinking, what if he shows up again? I can’t handle that right now, Josh. I don’t want to see him, or remember, or”
The words caught somewhere between my heart and my lips.
I set the mug down before it slipped from my hands.
Josh didn’t interrupt, he just watched, listening quietly like he always did.
After a pause, he said softly, “Then don’t go back. Stay here with me. You’ll be safe, Ash.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that. You’ve already done too much. I’ll just find a hotel nearby for a while”.
“Absolutely not.” His tone was gentle but firm. “You think I’m going to let you stay alone in some hotel while you’re still recovering? No way. I’ll feel better knowing you’re here.”
“Josh…”
He leaned forward, eyes warm but serious. “You’re not a burden. You never were. Let me help you this time, okay?”
Something in his voice made it impossible to argue. The wall I’d been holding up for so long began to crumble.
Finally, I nodded. “Just for a while.”
A faint smile tugged at his lips. “For a while,” he agreed.
* * *
Later that night, after dinner, Josh decided we should “relax a little.”
His version of relaxing, apparently, meant watching The Nun II.
“You cannot be serious,” I said, eyeing the screen.
He smirked. “It’s just a movie.”
“Right. A movie that’ll make me sleep with the lights on.”
He laughed, the sound rich and warm. “You can always hide behind me.”
By the time the credits rolled, I was buried under a blanket, heart racing. Josh, of course, looked completely unbothered.
* * *
An hour later, I still couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned until I heard a soft knock on my door.
Josh peeked in. “Can’t sleep?”
I groaned. “No. And before you ask, it’s not because of the movie.”
He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, grinning. “Sure it’s not.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious. It’s just… everything. The apartment. The memories. The feeling that something’s going to go wrong again.”
His expression softened. He stepped closer, his voice quiet. “Hey… you don’t need to feel scared anymore. You’re not alone, Ash. I’ll always be here for you.”
The words settled deep inside me, steady, certain, safe.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
We ended up on the balcony after that, watching the city skyline shimmer under the night sky.
The wind was cool and gentle, brushing through my hair, carrying that familiar scent of New York, coffee, concrete, and stories.
I shivered slightly, and without a word, Josh draped his jacket over my shoulders.
I turned to look at him, our faces inches apart, the city lights reflecting in his eyes.
He smiled faintly. “Better?”
“Yeah,” I breathed. “Much.”
I didn’t know when it happened, how his presence became my calm after every storm. But standing there, wrapped in his warmth, I realised something quietly terrifying.
I was falling for him.
And this time, I was close enough to notice.
- Writer
