He shakes his head and eases himself down beside me, swallowing back a groan that makes my chest ache. I sink down next to him, fighting the urge to reach out, to try to piece him back together with my bare hands.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he mutters, staring out at the lake where moonlight plays across the water like scattered diamonds.

"Do you need—" The word 'hospital' dies on my tongue as he cuts me off.

"What I need is to just be here with you right now. Please, Nor." His voice is a plea wrapped in pain and something darker that makes my soul ache.

I've learned not to push when he's like this. Sometimes love means being still while someone weathers their own storm, offering shelter rather than solutions. But my heart rebels against the helplessness, thundering so hard I swear he must hear it echoing across the water. My fingers itch to trace his wounds, to heal more than just the physical damage.

His eyes meet mine, they’re guarded, but there's a vulnerability in them that pulls at something deep in my chest. Before I can stop myself, I lean in. When my lips meet his, I taste copper and pain—sharp and raw. The metallic tang of his blood lingers between us, but it only makes me hold him tighter, as if I could absorb his hurt through touch alone.

His hand slides to my neck, grip desperate like I might dissolve into thin air. The intensity of his need mirrors my own, making my pulse race beneath his fingers.

I shift onto his lap, straddling him, feeling heat radiate between us like a living thing. His hands find my waist, fingers pressing into the fabric of my dress as if memorizing the shape of me. Our heartbeats sync and still it's not enough. I want to crawl inside his soul and wash away years of hurt with nothing but love.

When his eyes lock with mine, they're raw amber, flecked with gold. There's something unguarded there that steals my breath—pure, unfiltered truth that makes my heart stutter in my chest.

"This has to stop, Nate," I whisper, my voice trembling but certain. "I know you think you deserve this pain, but you don't."

His forehead rests against mine, breath warm and ragged against my skin.

"I don't know anymore, Nora," he argues, but hope bleeds through his words.

"Nate," I brush my lips over his again, "I'm here. I’m not going anywhere."

I press closer, wishing I could pour every ounce of warmth I possess into his wounded soul. His grip tightens, pulling me in until there's nothing between us but shared breath and need. The world beyond the dock fades away—no pain, no past, no bruises or scars. Just us, two souls holding onto each other like we're the only real thing in this vast universe.