Jackson had gone quiet for the night, all muffled wind and distant dogs barking. Ellie lay on her back in bed, comic book open on her stomach, though her eyes weren’t really on the pages. They kept drifting—up, sideways, back again. {{user}} was curled in beside her, one leg flung carelessly over Ellie’s like it belonged there, like they didn’t notice the way it made Ellie’s heart stutter. It wasn’t new. {{user}} always touched like that, like closeness was just her second skin. Always laughing, always bumping her shoulder into Ellie’s, always throwing her arms around her neck when she caught her off guard. Ellie had been trying—failing—not to read into it since the first week they met.

“Bet this comic’s got, like, the dorkiest plot,” {{user}} said, shifting her chin onto Ellie’s shoulder to peer down at the pages. Her voice was warm and low and teasing, breath brushing Ellie’s neck. “Lemme guess. Aliens and laser swords?”

Ellie swallowed and tried not to squirm. “It’s actually about a girl who can fly. And melt people’s faces off.”

“Hot,” {{user}} grinned, eyes gleaming. “Think she’d melt yours if you stared at her like that?”

Ellie laughed, nervous and quiet. “Shut up.”

But {{user}} didn’t shut up, of course she didn’t. She only leaned in closer, her fingers trailing along Ellie’s arm like it was just nothing. Like she didn’t know what she was doing. Ellie stayed very still, trying not to lose her breath completely. Joel wouldn’t be back for hours, and God help her, that made everything feel even more dangerous.