He Gave Our Helicopter Away, So I Stopped Waiting to Be Rescued novel · Chapter 21 of 24

Chapter 21: Properly

Lena's POV

He told me about the radio in the reinforced room, with the door shut and the storm shutters open to the stars.

The housekeeper had taken Tilda for the night, over my protest and with a look that ended it.

"It's my turn," she had said. "Go and have a life."

So I sat on the camp mattress we'd dragged into the one room that stood, and Fraser sat across from me against the wall with his boots off.

He gave it to me in order, without softening it.

Ten to three, the open radio, the two minutes that Damon never spent.

When he finished I sat very still.

"Did he cry?" I said.

"Not on the boat."

"Good. I don't want him to have cried where I can't see."

"Lena."

"I'm not angry at you for telling me." I rubbed my thumb along the stitches in my palm. "I thought it would hurt more. I think I knew the first night. Someone who really wants to come get you picks up the radio himself."

"He said that was the cowardice."

"It was. It was also a thing he could have done in two minutes." I looked up. "I'm not going to forgive him because he finally said it."

"You don't have to."

"I know. That's the best part."

His mouth tipped up, and I saw the chipped tooth, and something loosened in my chest that had been tight since the pad.

"Come here," I said.

"Where?"

"Here. All the way here."

He crossed the mattress on his knees.

I took his face in both hands, and for a moment I only looked at him.

The beard, the grey-green eyes, the white line of an old scar through one eyebrow I'd never noticed.

← Chapter 20 · All chapters · Chapter 22 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend