The gravel crunched under the car's slow roll up the drive. I was already waiting in the foyer, pacing once, twice, before the distinctive sound of the engine cut out.
The silence that followed was thick with anticipation, pressing in on me like the humid summer air. My gaze flickered to the front door, a polished mahogany slab that suddenly felt like the gateway to salvation.
Every instinct screamed at me to fling it open, to run out into the twilight and claim her, but I held myself in check. My chest tightened. Too long. Even a day without her was too damn long.
The door opened and she stepped out, a gentle breeze lifted a few strands of hair, framing her face─a paper bag tucked casually in her arm, as if she hadn't just stolen the breath from my lungs.
