I sat and watched her; the shy smiles she would give when the attention was on her, the way she held the cloth napkin over her mouth when my dad would get a laugh out of her, and the way her eyes would close anytime she took a bite which had her sighing ever so slightly that I doubt anyone would notice if they weren't paying the amount of attention to her as I was. She looked so damn beautiful; it was hard not to stare. But it was more than that. I barely ate, my thoughts too consumed with her, my eyes too focused so as not to miss any tiny detail she was willing to give me about herself.

She was relaxed and comfortable, showing me the parts of her that I had began to unravel in those mountains. My parents were eating it up, completely captivated by her.

It was hard not to be.

Only in moments when Mark would speak or at any mention by my parents of their life together in Chicago, did I notice her posture stiffen. A certain rigidness would take over her demeanor; she became too polite, too poised, almost nervous to say the wrong thing.

I eyed as his hands slid under the table, surely gripping her exposed thigh, maybe even running further up. The thoughts constricted any sanity I had, squeezing themselves around my heart so tightly, I thought I would explode.

I hadn't seen her since she was pulled from my arms only moments after we had shared a kiss that will forever be seared into my memory. I did not realize how badly I had needed to see her, to make sure she was safe and that I hadn't messed up again. It was like air rushed into me when I had stepped into the kitchen and met her gaze. I could breathe again, and if that was the last night I was going to see her, at least I had that last taste of fresh air.

"This was an amazing meal. Thank you again for having us." Grace smiled as she pushed her empty plate away.

"It was a pleasure. I do hope you guys come back to enjoy a free stay. I would love for your next experience to be a much better one. And I would love to see you again." My mom took Grace's hand from across the table and gave it a small squeeze before letting go.

"Well we appreciate your hospitality, but I doubt we will be back. This was more than enough of an experience for me." Mark interjected.

Grace's gaze cut to Mark, but she stayed silent, turning back to my mom.

"Let me help you clean up."

"Oh, don't bother hun. Colt and his father usually clean up after I make a big meal. They are quite the gentlemen." My mom shot me a playful wink, and I shook my head.

"Yeah, only because she threatens to withhold desert if we don't comply." I grinned.

Grace looked toward me and lightly laughed, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"I have a feeling he would clean up for you regardless. He seems quite the mama's boy."

"Oh, that he is dear! You should have known him as a boy. He always followed me around. Even dressed up in my dresses there for a bit."

"Mom!" I inwardly groaned. "Here I was thinking you were going to spare me the embarrassing stories."

"Well son, you did that to yourself the day you decided to get into those high heels." My dad chuckled.

"I was three!"

Grace's laughter intertwining with my family brought forth a long-lost feeling--one trapped in a time where things had made sense.

"Well thank you for the meal, but we should get going. We have an early flight." Mark's voice sliced through the reverie I was in, leaving me to face my reality, one that didn't have Grace in it.

"Um, yes. Of course. Thanks again for everything."

"I am going to start the car. It was good to see you all again." Mark said his quick goodbyes and headed outside as we all stood up from the table. I stared at Grace, afraid if I looked away, she would already be gone. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Well then, I am going to go check on the cattle." My dad said as he started to back away from kitchen.

"I'll help!" My mom added, as she followed my dad out, leaving me and Grace there alone.

"I wanted to--" Grace started at the same time I stumbled out, "Thank you for--."

She smiled, slightly blushing.

"Sorry." She laughed.

"How many times have I told you to not apologize for things that aren't your fault?"

She was silent for a moment as her stare bore into mine. I walked the short distance around the table and she shifted her stance, so that we were standing a couple steps away and facing each other.

"I am so sorry I didn't see you at the hospital. I wasn't allowed your room number. I am so glad you're okay. And I wanted to thank you. For getting me back. But for more than that. For keeping me sane and being a friend in a terrible situation."

Fuck, I have never hated the word friend more than I did when it slipped through her perfect lips. But that is what we were, or what I hoped we at least were. I didn't deserve to be more; I wasn't ready for more. But I had come to appreciate her presence in my life. Those past few days at the hospital without her near, when I had become so accustomed to her as my only company, made me miss the glares she would give me when I would wind her up, our back and forth arguing, the fleeting times she would lose herself in the moment, our playful banter, and our shared confessions.

"Well I had to make up for insinuating you were a prostitute somehow." I teased, thinking back to the first night I laid eyes on her.

Her eyes went wide before narrowing into a playful glare.

There's that glare I missed.

"So you did insinuate I was a, you know--", she trailed off a moment, looking around the room, before leaning in and whispering, "a whore."

A chuckle escaped, her innocence never failing to surprise me.

"Now, now, I didn't think you had such a potty mouth on you...ma'am."

She swatted my arm with a grin, and I caught her hand mid air as she pulled away. She looked down at our interlocked hands.

"You know I hate being called ma'am." She whispered, her voice coming out breathy. I took a step closer and held her stare. Nerves danced across her irises, along with an emotion I desperately wanted to decipher.

"Exactly. That's why I do it."

Her eyebrow shot up from curiosity.

"You try to make me mad?"

"No. I try to make you feel. To make you respond. I like getting a reaction out of you, because I have a feeling you're out of practice giving one. We may be out of the mountains, but I'm not done saving you yet, Grace. Don't go home and dim yourself. Give them all you got. Promise me?"

Her eyes scoured my face, searching for something I would willing give if only I were a less broken man. I slowly let go of her hand, staying rooted to my spot.

"Colt...what happened in the mountains..." She trailed off, searching for the words to say. "Was that just what happens when any two people think they might die? Or was it something more?"

Her words hit me like a cinder block. That time, it was my turn to search her face as I tried to decipher the meaning behind them. Was she begging me to convince her it was nothing? Did she need it to be nothing? Or was she hoping it was something more?

I thought back to how guilty she felt when we had almost kissed the first time before the bear. I thought back to Mark ripping her from me in the mountain, relief splayed over his features. And I thought to dinner when he introduced her as his fiancée.

I realized what she needed. And it wasn't me. She only needed to have the guilt she was harboring to be erased.

"It's what happens when two people find themselves leaning on each other to get back alive. We were in a tough spot Grace. You should cut yourself some slack."

She narrowed her eyes, searching mine for the truth in it, but I couldn't be sure what she found. She took a step back and nodded her head.

"I guess I should go. Mark's waiting on me, and we both know by now he hates to." She quickly walked around me, but I reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned her head back, her eyes newly glistening. The sight taking both the breath and the words out of me. A moment passed before she spoke up.

"You know, one day, you're going to have to stop trying to save everyone else, and realize you deserve to be saved too. Goodbye Colt."

She turned again, her arm slowly slipping from my grasp as she walked away, out of the room and out of my life.

"Goodbye Grace."

The whisper echoed around the room louder than any demon in my head.

*Sniff, sniff* anybody else feeling upset right now?😪🤚 I don't want Grace to leave. And poor Colt. There was definitely some tension at the dinner table. 👀

Stick with me, our characters still have some things to work out, but I have a feeling we will see more of them❤ Hopefully as more than friends!🤞

Until then, stay safe, stay kind, and stay authentically you!

-Allie💕