The car pulled up outside my apartment just as I was slipping off my cardigan, preparing for another quiet night of overthinking him. My phone buzzed with a message that was short and sharp: Come. Now. There was no name, no flourish, but I didn’t need one.
My heart jumped to my throat.
I barely grabbed my bag before rushing down the stairs, pulse quickening with every step. The driver stood by the back door, expression calm, like this was any other pickup, like he wasn’t ferrying me straight into the storm I’d been dreaming about for nights.
The ride was silent except for the hum of the city. I pressed my palms against my thighs, trying to ground myself, but anticipation thrummed through me like a live wire. I thought about every note he’d sent, every word he’d spoken, every carefully d
