Chasing the Tide

Chapter twelve: The Morning After

Lila woke to the sound of waves lapping against the shore, the early morning sun casting a golden hue over the sand. She blinked, momentarily disoriented, before the warmth pressed against her side reminded her where she was—who she was with.

Noah’s arm was draped over her waist, his breathing steady and peaceful. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself to just exist in this bubble of calm, of quiet satisfaction. But reality was never far away, creeping back in like the tide.

Her phone was somewhere, probably buried in the sand, and she knew it would be full of missed calls and texts. Cotton, her family, maybe even Cassidy and Annie wondering where she had disappeared to.

Noah stirred beside her, his grip tightening slightly before his eyes fluttered open. A slow, easy smile spread across his lips as he met her gaze.

“Morning,” he murmured, his voice laced with sleep.

Lila swallowed, unsure of what to say. Morning. Reality. Consequences.

Before she could respond, Noah reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Regrets?”

She hesitated. Did she regret it? The feel of him, the way he made her forget everything else in the world? No. But that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be fallout.

“I don’t know,” she admitted softly.

Noah nodded as if he understood. Maybe he did. He had always seemed to see through her better than anyone else.

“You don’t have to figure it all out right now,” he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder before sitting up.

Lila watched him, her heart a tangled mess of emotions. She knew this moment wouldn’t last forever. The real world was waiting. But for now, just for a little while longer, she let herself be lost in it.

Then, the thought struck her like a wave crashing against the shore.

They hadn’t used protection.

Her heart pounded in her chest, her stomach twisting into knots. Noah sat beside her, unaware of the silent panic creeping through her. Should she say something? Should she just hope for the best?

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to breathe. There was no undoing last night, no erasing what had happened. And now, there was one more complication she hadn’t been prepared for.