Almost Love, Then Everything - Chapter 16: Chapter 16
You are reading Almost Love, Then Everything, Chapter 16: Chapter 16. Read more chapters of Almost Love, Then Everything.
("Sometimes it felt like we were almost there.
Other times, the space between us was an ocean I didn't know how to cross.")
Leah hadn’t meant to stay the night.
But the storm said otherwise.
It rolled in fast, thunder rumbling low like a warning in the bones, rain slamming against the windows hard enough to make her flinch. By the time she checked the time and the weather app, the roads were already flooded.
Jade was the one who offered. Of course she was.
“You can take the couch,” she said softly, holding out a blanket. “Or… you can share the bed. If you want.”
Leah tried to laugh. “I’ll try not to kick you in my sleep.”
“I’ll try not to fall in love with you in mine.”
Leah blinked.
Jade’s face burned. “I—was joking,” she said quickly, flustered. “Obviously.”
Leah just nodded. Smiled. And said nothing.
They lay side by side in the dark, the bed too small for the amount of distance they were trying to maintain.
Their arms touched.
So did their legs.
And their shoulders.
And neither moved away.
The ceiling was painted with flickering shadows from the lightning outside. Leah’s breath came slow, shallow. She could hear Jade’s too—uneven, like she was fighting the same storm inside.
Neither of them could sleep.
And neither of them admitted it.
Leah wanted to reach out. Just take her hand. Just hold it. But the fear of shattering whatever fragile, beautiful thing they had kept her frozen.
So instead she whispered, “Do you think we’re making this harder than it has to be?”
Jade turned her head slowly. “What do you mean?”
“This. Us. The not-saying-it. The pretending we’re just…” She trailed off, searching for a word that wouldn’t sound like a confession.
“Friends?” Jade finished quietly.
Leah nodded.
“I don’t think we’re pretending,” Jade said, almost inaudible. “I think we’re waiting.”
“For what?”
“For the right moment.”
The silence between them stretched long and full.
And then—softly, so softly—Jade reached for Leah’s hand under the covers and held it. Her fingers were trembling.
So were Leah’s.
But neither let go.
And in that fragile, glowing quiet, it wasn’t the thunder that made Leah’s heart pound.
It was this.
The space between them closing.
Finally.
Some moments are louder than thunder.
Some silences speak louder than words.
And some hands, when they find yours,
Make the whole world feel like it’s stopped spinning—
Just long enough to fall.
Other times, the space between us was an ocean I didn't know how to cross.")
Leah hadn’t meant to stay the night.
But the storm said otherwise.
It rolled in fast, thunder rumbling low like a warning in the bones, rain slamming against the windows hard enough to make her flinch. By the time she checked the time and the weather app, the roads were already flooded.
Jade was the one who offered. Of course she was.
“You can take the couch,” she said softly, holding out a blanket. “Or… you can share the bed. If you want.”
Leah tried to laugh. “I’ll try not to kick you in my sleep.”
“I’ll try not to fall in love with you in mine.”
Leah blinked.
Jade’s face burned. “I—was joking,” she said quickly, flustered. “Obviously.”
Leah just nodded. Smiled. And said nothing.
They lay side by side in the dark, the bed too small for the amount of distance they were trying to maintain.
Their arms touched.
So did their legs.
And their shoulders.
And neither moved away.
The ceiling was painted with flickering shadows from the lightning outside. Leah’s breath came slow, shallow. She could hear Jade’s too—uneven, like she was fighting the same storm inside.
Neither of them could sleep.
And neither of them admitted it.
Leah wanted to reach out. Just take her hand. Just hold it. But the fear of shattering whatever fragile, beautiful thing they had kept her frozen.
So instead she whispered, “Do you think we’re making this harder than it has to be?”
Jade turned her head slowly. “What do you mean?”
“This. Us. The not-saying-it. The pretending we’re just…” She trailed off, searching for a word that wouldn’t sound like a confession.
“Friends?” Jade finished quietly.
Leah nodded.
“I don’t think we’re pretending,” Jade said, almost inaudible. “I think we’re waiting.”
“For what?”
“For the right moment.”
The silence between them stretched long and full.
And then—softly, so softly—Jade reached for Leah’s hand under the covers and held it. Her fingers were trembling.
So were Leah’s.
But neither let go.
And in that fragile, glowing quiet, it wasn’t the thunder that made Leah’s heart pound.
It was this.
The space between them closing.
Finally.
Some moments are louder than thunder.
Some silences speak louder than words.
And some hands, when they find yours,
Make the whole world feel like it’s stopped spinning—
Just long enough to fall.
End of Almost Love, Then Everything Chapter 16. Continue reading Chapter 17 or return to Almost Love, Then Everything book page.