Lost But Found | ✔️ - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Run Until You Can't
Ava
She ran.
Because it was too much.
Because Jaxon was looking at her like he meant it, like he was ready to take every broken piece of her and hold it in his hands, and she didn't know how to handle that.
So she did the only thing she knew how to do.
She ran.
The rain had started somewhere between the first block and the second, a slow drizzle turning into a steady downpour, soaking through her sweatshirt as she walked faster, trying to outrun the way her chest ached.
But no matter how far she got, no matter how fast she moved—
Jaxon was right behind her.
"Ava!"
She squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of his voice, but she didn't stop.
Footsteps pounded against wet pavement.
She had barely made it two steps further before a warm hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her back just enough to make her stop.
She spun around, rain dripping from her hair, her breath ragged. "Jaxon, go home."
He didn't let go.
He was drenched, his hoodie sticking to his arms, his hair darkened from the rain, but he did not let go.
His chest was rising and falling hard, like he had sprinted after her. Like he hadn't even thought before chasing her.
Like she was worth chasing.
"No," he said, voice rough.
Ava's stomach twisted. "Why are you doing this?"
Jaxon clenched his jaw. "Because you keep running."
"Yeah," she snapped, yanking her arm away. "Because I don't know how to do this!"
Jaxon exhaled sharply, his hands going to his hips as he stared at her, really stared at her, like he was trying to get inside her head.
Like he was already there.
"What are you so scared of?" he asked, his voice lower now, not angry—just tired.
Ava swallowed hard. "You."
The word came out softer than she wanted.
Jaxon's eyes darkened, something unreadable flickering behind them. "Why?"
She shook her head, rain dripping from her lashes. "Because you stay."
Silence.
The rain kept falling, the street empty except for the two of them, standing too close, breathing too hard.
Then—
Jaxon stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Until there was barely any space left between them.
"Ava," he murmured.
Her chest was aching.
Not from fear.
Not from panic.
But from something else.
Something dangerous.
Something she wanted.
Jaxon reached out, his fingers barely brushing her jaw, hesitant—waiting for her to pull away.
But she didn't.
And when he leaned in, when his lips hovered just above hers, when she felt the warmth of his breath against her skin—
She met him there.
The kiss was slow, careful, but there was nothing hesitant about the way her hands gripped the front of his hoodie, nothing hesitant about the way Jaxon deepened the kiss, his other hand sliding around her waist, pulling her closer.
The rain blurred everything else—the world, the past, the fear—until there was only him.
Only this.
Only them.
By the time they pulled apart, Ava was breathless, her forehead resting against his.
Jaxon let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "I knew you didn't hate me."
Ava laughed, barely there, but real.
She exhaled, her fingers still fisting his hoodie. "You're impossible."
Jaxon smirked. "Yeah. But you're still here."
And for the first time ever
Ava didn't want to run.