CHAPTER 28

ARIENNE CALLOWAY

The soft hum of the car engine and the dim glow of the streetlights passing by made it impossible to stay fully awake. The day had already drained me, and now, as we drove deeper into the night, exhaustion hit me like a wave.

I leaned my head against the window, the cool glass soothing against my skin. My eyes blinked heavily as I tried to keep them open, but it was a losing battle.

Jenni and my mom were chatting quietly in the middle row, their voices blending with the sound of the road. Zayn's parents were upfront, his dad focused on driving while his mom occasionally hummed along to the soft music playing through the speakers.

Beside me, Lily had been curled up between Zayn and me, but she kept shifting, her tiny body flopping sideways every few minutes. She'd fall against me, then against Zayn, then back again—until finally, Zayn sighed.

"Jen, take her," he muttered, already lifting Lily with one arm.

Jenni turned around, taking the sleeping girl from him. "Took you long enough," she teased, adjusting Lily onto her lap.

Zayn didn't respond, just leaned back into his seat, finally free from Lily's weight. Which, unfortunately, meant there was now no one between us.

Great.

I hadn't dared to look at him since I got back in the car.

Not after what happened at the petrol station.

Not after I had to climb over him to get out.

Not after realizing that the shirt I was wearing belonged to him.

The realization had hit me just as I was pulling it over my head in the changing room. The familiar scent, the slightly oversized fit—it was his.

I should've been embarrassed. Should've taken it off and found something else. But at that point, I just wanted to get out of that stuffy space and back to the car.

Now, though... sitting right next to him in his shirt—yeah, this was embarrassing.

I shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable, but the exhaustion was catching up. My body felt too heavy to care about anything anymore.

A yawn slipped past my lips. I forced my eyes open, but they fluttered shut again within seconds.

I was so close to sleep when—

The car hit a small bump, jolting me forward.

Before I could react, something warm and firm caught my shoulder, steadying me before I could completely lose my balance.

I blinked sluggishly, my head turning—

And my heart stopped.

Zayn.

His hand was still on my shoulder, his grip steady but not rough. His dark eyes flickered toward me, unreadable in the dim lighting of the car.

"You good?" His voice was low, barely above a whisper.

I nodded slowly, too tired to do much else. "Mhm."

But instead of leaning back against the window, my body had other plans.

Without thinking, without meaning to—

I let my head drop against the nearest surface.

Which just happened to be Zayn's shoulder.

A second of silence passed.

Maybe I should've moved. Maybe I should've sat back up. But his shoulder was warm, and I was too exhausted to care.

And the worst part?

He didn't push me away.