Chapter 166: Here With You
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Ethan sprang to his feet as soon as I set the tray down, the porcelain hardly making a sound against the polished table before he was already making his way across the room. I barely had a moment to brace myself before he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly as if he feared I’d vanish if he loosened his grip even just a bit.
The force of it knocked the breath from my lungs; his chest was solid against mine, and I could feel his heart racing through my clothes.
For a split second, I thought he might actually crush me, but I didn’t pull away laughing telling him to let go like I usually would. I didn’t say a word. I just stood there, letting him hold me while my arms instinctively wrapped around the back of his jacket, my fingers clutching the fabric as if it was my only lifeline to reality. His familiar scent, a mix of warmth and comfort...made my throat tighten painfully.
When he finally let go, his hands didn’t move away; they found my face, cupping my cheeks as he tilted my head gently from side to side, his eyes racing over me as if he was trying to catalog every inch, searching for something broken.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice strained. "Noah, are you—are you hurting anywhere?"
"I’m okay," I replied quickly, almost automatically. "I swear. I’m fine."
He didn’t look convinced. His brows knitted together, his blue eyes dark and glassy with exhaustion and fear as he searched my face again, as if waiting for me to crack and admit something awful. "Are you sure?" he pressed gently. "You don’t have to hide from me. If anything hurts, if something else happened before we showed—"
"I’m sure," I interrupted, managing a small smile even though it felt wrong. "I promise."
Something shifted in his expression, and the tension in his shoulders sagged as he let out a shaky breath. Without another word, he pulled me back into his arms, this time slower and gentler, his hands resting protectively against my back.