NOAH’S POV
The softness beneath me felt unfamiliar, too gentle, too clean. I blinked against the golden light pouring through the curtains, mind foggy, muscles oddly relaxed. For a second, I didn’t even know where I was. Then I remembered we're on a trip.
Then two sharp green eyes stared down at me.
I jolted upright. “Penny!”
My voice cracked, and I nearly headbutted her in my haste. Without thinking, I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her shoulder.
God, I missed her.
Not even a full day had passed, but the silence she left behind had pressed on my chest like a weight. It was too still, too empty. As though something essential had been scooped out of me.
She didn’t hesitate—just hugged me back, warm and tight, like she always did. Penny never cared a
