Chapter 47
Chapter 47:
Kyson let out a quiet sigh, his tone warm and careful. “Can you please try to look after yourself a little better p>
“I have been looking after myself.” She wanted to explain that she had tried to keep her distance from the two of them, but she owed the Owens too much to simply turn her back on them.
A brief pause, and then Kyson said softly, “Give me ten minutes. I’ll be waiting at the crossroad outside the Owen estate p>
That caught her off guard. “It’s so late… Wait, are you actually back p>
“That’s right,” Kyson replied with a quiet laugh, taking in the familiar glow of the city beyond his window. “I’m here p>
Kailey was on her feet before she had even fully processed it. A quick glance out the window reminded her she hadn’t left yet. “Don’t move. I’ll be right there p>
After hanging up, she tore through her clothes in a rush of nerves. What was she supposed to wear? It had been so long since she had seen him, and the thought made her hands unsteady.
The hurt and exhaustion of the evening fell away, replaced by a fluttery, anxious excitement. What should she say when she saw him? A simple hello? A casual tap on the shoulder? Nothing felt quite right.
𝘛𝗵𝗼𝘶sа𝗻𝖽ѕ 𝗈𝘧 𝘳𝘦а𝖽𝖾𝗋s o𝗇
Still tangled in her own thoughts, she made her way to the intersection and lingered, glancing around.
Then a low, familiar voice cut through the night. “Kailey p>
She spun around.
Kyson stood beneath the streetlight, a dark coat framing his lean figure, his features sharp and clear in the glow. He looked at her with a slow, easy smile and opened his arms wide.
“Come here p>
Kailey’s heart leapt. A grin broke across her face, and she ran straight into his embrace.
Kyson’s broad frame towered over Kailey, and when he wrapped his arms around her, her forehead barely reached his chest.
Within that brief embrace, she breathed in quietly, catching a subtle woody fragrance that clung to his shirt. Something about him had changed—even the scent he carried now felt unexpectedly warm and refined.
That small discovery sent a nervous flutter through her chest, and she dropped her eyes in sudden embarrassment.
“Kyson, why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today? I could have picked you up p>
“I wanted you to just come out and find me,” he answered, his lips curving faintly as he noticed the delicate flush at the tips of her ears. His gaze drifted downward and settled on the thin red scratch across her hand, and the warmth in his tone gave way to concern. “What happened to your hand p>
Noticing where he was looking, Kailey instinctively tucked her injured hand behind her back, her shoulders stiffening. “It’s nothing. I caught it on a branch p>
He studied her for a moment without answering, then reached forward with quiet determination and drew her hand back into the light to examine it himself. “Did a branch really do this? Did you fall into some brush p>