The rain hasn't stopped all evening.
It taps against my windows like impatient fingers, steady and relentless, as if the world outside refuses to calm down until I do.
I wrap a blanket around my shoulders and sit on the couch, staring at the silent, lifeless phone on the table.
Off.
It feels like a line I drew to protect myself a line that now feels like a trap.
I exhale shakily and whisper into the quiet, "I miss him…"
The confession echoes back at me from the walls, soft and cruel.
I rub my hands over my face. My body feels too heavy. My chest feels too tight. My eyes sting in a way I'm too tired to fight anymore.
I should sleep.
I should rest.
But instead, I just sit here… drowning in everything I tried to outrun.
And then
A sharp, sudden knock.
I freeze.
My breath catches instantly, hanging in my throat, refusing to move.
The knock comes again.
Firm.
Uncertain.
Desperate.
My heart jumps into my mouth.
No.
No, it can't be him.
Not now.
Not like this.
I force myself to stand, my legs weak, my pulse beating too loudly in my ears. The blanket slips off my shoulders and falls to the floor, but I don't bother picking it up.
I walk toward the front door slowly each step heavier than the last.
My fingers tremble as I reach for the handle.
A voice muffled by the storm but painfully familiar cuts through the silence.
"Leah… please."
My heart breaks in one clean, brutal snap.
It is him.
I open the door.
And the world stops.
Edward stands there in the pouring rain.
Soaked.
Dripping.
Beautiful in a way that steals breath straight from my lungs.
His hair is plastered to his forehead, water running down his jaw, his shirt clinging to every defined muscle on his chest. He looks like a man fighting a war with the storm just to get to me.
He looks ruinously breathtaking.
My voice comes out barely above a whisper.
"Edward…"
His eyes lock onto mine immediately tired, red-rimmed, full of something raw and painful.
He lets out a shaky breath.
"You finally opened the door."
I swallow hard. My throat feels bruised.
"What are you doing here?" My voice cracks on the last word. "It's raining"
"I know," he cuts in, stepping closer.
A drop of rain rolls down his cheek, but I can't tell if it's water or emotion. He looks… devastated. And still so determined.
"I've been standing here for fifteen minutes," he says softly. "I wasn't sure if you would answer."
Guilt hits me like a physical punch.
I clutch the edge of the door, forcing myself not to crumble. "You shouldn't be here."
"I had to come," he says, breath trembling. "I couldn't sit there and do nothing. I couldn't pretend I was okay when I'm not."
He takes a small step forward, painfully cautious.
"You shut me out," he says quietly, eyes searching my face as if begging for something. "You disappeared, Leah. I didn't know if you were hurt, angry, if you hated me, or if"
He swallows hard.
"if you were gone from my life for good."
My chest tightens so sharply I feel dizzy.
I grip the door harder. "Edward… you don't understand."
"Then make me understand," he whispers.
The rain pours harder behind him, streaking across the doorway, but neither of us moves.
He reaches up as if to touch my cheek then hesitates. His hand falls back to his side, shoulders sagging slightly.
"I'm soaked," he says with a humorless half-laugh. "I probably look insane."
"You do," I whisper honestly.
He laughs again, breathless. "Yeah. I figured."
Silence stretches between us long, heavy, and loaded.
Then his voice softens into something that makes my knees weak.
"I miss you."
The words hit me like a storm of their own. My breath stutters. My fingers tremble.
He steps closer.
"I miss you so much it hurts. And I know I have no right to ask anything from you, but" His voice breaks, barely noticeable but enough to shatter me. "please don't shut me out. Not like this. Not without talking to me."
My eyes burn instantly.
"I don't know what to do," I whisper.
Edward moves closer so close I can feel the heat of his body despite the cold rain soaking him.
"Then let me in," he whispers. "Let me talk to you. Let me fix this. Let me… try."
I close my eyes, fighting the pull of him.
"You're his son," I breathe, the pain sharp. "That truth doesn't just disappear."
"I know."
His voice is low, intense.
"But I fell for you before I ever knew that. And after finding out… nothing changed. Nothing."
My heart slams against my ribs.
"You can't say things like that," I whisper.
"Why? Because it's wrong? Because I shouldn't feel this way?" He steps closer until our faces are inches apart. His breath is warm against my skin despite the cold rain. "Leah, I tried to stop. I tried to step back when everything blew up. I tried to let go."
He shakes his head, voice breaking.
"But I can't."
My lips part, but nothing comes out.
He reaches up again this time, he doesn't stop.
His hand cups my cheek, warm despite the rain dripping from his fingers. I suck in a breath, my body leaning into his touch automatically, uncontrollably.
"I can't stay away from you," he whispers. "I don't want to."
Something crumbles inside me something I've been desperately holding together with both hands.
I open the door wider without thinking.
Edward hesitates.
For the first time tonight, he looks unsure.
"Are you… letting me in?" he asks quietly.
I swallow hard and nod once.
"Yes."
His eyes soften slowly, beautifully, painfully.
As he steps inside, water drips from him onto the floor, but I don't care. I close the door behind us, and the quiet click feels like the whole world shifting.
He stands there dripping, breathing hard, staring at me like he's afraid I'll vanish.
I move first.
I step toward him, my hands lifting to his chest, fingers brushing the soaked fabric.
He shivers not from cold, but from me.
His breath drags in sharply. "Leah…"
"I missed you too," I whisper.
He exhales shakily, like he's been holding that breath for days.
Then his hands come up to my waist, gripping me like I'm the only anchor he's had in a very long time.
He leans down slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.
I don't.
I rise onto my toes and press my mouth to his.
The kiss is soft at first.
Tender.
Apologetic.
Desperate.
Then it deepens.
His hands slide up my back, pulling me against him. My fingers tangle in his wet hair, and he groans softly into my mouth like he's finally breathing again.
The rain outside roars, but in here, it's just us.
Just this.
Just him.
Just everything I tried so hard to deny coming crashing back with terrifying, beautiful force.
When he finally pulls away just enough to rest his forehead against mine his voice is a broken whisper.
"I thought I lost you."
My voice cracks.
"I thought I lost myself."
We stand there, holding each other in the dim, quiet room, while the storm continues outside a storm that feels almost gentle compared to the one inside me.
I don't know what happens next.
I don't know how we'll survive the mess.
But right now?
Right now, all I know is this:
I missed him.
God help me…
I missed him so damn much.