After a brief minute of silence, he opens his door and moves around to mine. When he opens it, cold air rushes in, but instead of making it worse, it jolts me back a little.
Noah crouches beside me. "Come on," he says softly. "Let's get some air."
I hesitate. My legs feel numb. But then his hand slides into mine. Not forceful. Just there. Warm. Waiting. I grip it.
He helps me out of the car. We're somewhere quiet. I don't know where. A dimly lit park, maybe, or a rest stop near the outskirts of the city. There's snow on the ground, untouched, and trees lined up like sentinels. The sky above is a deep navy blue, scattered with stars faint enough to look like dust.
We stand in silence for a long moment. I focus on the rhythm of his breathing. Slow. Steady.
He rubs small circles into my back. I let the cold bite into my face until the panic dulls. Until my breath starts coming in longer pulls instead of sharp gasps.
