It was supposed to be a simple drive.
Grace had left the gala early, still flushed from the emotional whiplash of dancing with Liam . Her body remembered every second the weight of his hand on her back, the rhythm of their steps, the way his eyes had searched hers like he was trying to find his way home.
She told herself it was nothing , jut a dance ,just a memory.
But when her car stuttered and died on a rural road just outside the city, with dark clouds churning above and her phone signal flickering like a ghost, she knew the universe wasn't done with her yet.
She sat in the driver's seat, glaring at the dashboard, rain splattering the windshield like coins from a broken sky
Then headlights appeared in the rearview mirror.
A sleek black car pulled up behind her. Her heart sank and soared at the same time.
He was the last person she wanted to see.
And the only person she wanted to see.
Liam stepped out of the car just as the rain came harder, soaking his tailored jacket, his hair clinging to his forehead. He knocked once on her window.
"Grace get in my car."
She rolled her eyes but cracked the door "It's not as dramatic as it looks."
"You're stranded in the middle of nowhere in a storm , It's exactly as dramatic as it looks"
She hesitated. Then sighed, grabbed her purse , and followed him.
....
They sat in the front seat of his car in silence. The storm raged outside, wind howling through the trees like it had secrets to spill. Water streaked down the windows, blurring the world outside into something surreal.
"I didn't expect to see you again tonight," she said finally, voice low.
"I didn't expect to see you on the side of the road like a scene from a Nicholas Sparks novel" he replied dryly.
She huffed a reluctant laugh.
Then the silence crept back in. But this time, it wasn't sharp or angry. It was… hesitant. Charged.
"I meant what I said at the gala," Liam said. "I didn't ask for that setup. But I don't regret dancing with you."
Grace looked down at her hands. Her fingers were trembling slightly. "You've said a lot of things you don't regret."
"That's true," he admitted. "But I've also made mistakes I do regret. Hurting you is one of them."
Her throat tightened. "Why didn't you fight harder for me when everything went to hell? When the article came out, when my father threatened me, when your past came crashing into mine?"
He turned to her, gray eyes soft and stormy. "Because I thought the best way to protect you was to give you space. I thought if I stayed away, I'd keep you safe from the media, from my mess, from… me."
She swallowed hard "But I didn't want space, I wanted honesty. I wanted someone who wouldn't hide when things got hard."
"I know," he said quietly. "And I failed at that."
The storm outside was relentless now, thunder shaking the windows. Grace stared out at the dark trees and the slashing rain, her heart aching with every beat.
"I kept telling myself I could walk away from this," she said. "That I could bury the feelings and focus on work and pretend it never happened."
"Did it work" he asked softly.
She looked at him then, eyes luminous in the dim light. "No, It never does."
Liam reached out and gently took her hand. She didn't pull away.
"I don't want to do any of this anymore," he said. "I don't want to fight you, I want to fight for you."
Her breath caught. No one had ever said that to her before. Not her father. Not her exes. Not even herself
"You scare me," she whispered. "Because when I'm with you, I forget how to protect myself."
"Then don't," he said. "Don't protect yourself from me. I'm not perfect, Grace . But I'm not walking away again. You're it for me."
She blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay.
Outside, the storm cracked open the sky. Inside the car, something softer broke.
She leaned into him, her forehead resting against his shoulder. "I'm still angry , I'm still hurt."
"I know," he murmured. "I'll wait. As long as it takes."
They stayed like that quiet and close until the storm began to fade into a misty hush. And in that stillness, something shifted between them.
Not forgiveness, not yet. But something like it