MADE IT LUKE

Darkness pressed against my eyes, heavy and endless, until the weight began to lift, and something soft surrounded me

instead. Pillows.

I was face down in them, my cheek crushed into their warmth, the familiar scent of clean sheets and faint coffee wrapping around me.

I blinked, my vision blurry and sluggish, as I tried to lift my head. But my body felt like lead, and my arms refused to cooperate. I let out a groan and sank back into the pillows.

Then I felt it. Gentle fingers threading through my hair, soothing and rhythmic, grounding me.

"Jess?" I murmured, my voice muffled against the fabric.

She was there, half-

sitting beside me with a mug of coffee cradled in one hand. Her other hand moved through my hair, brushing back the damp strands that clung to my forehead. She didn't say anything, just kept looking at me with those. impossibly bright eyes, a soft smile playing on her lips I blinked again, trying to shake the fog in my head, but it didn't help. "I think I fell off the boat," I muttered into the pillow.

Jess nodded, her smile widening just a little. "You did, babe."

voice was calm, warm-so damn Jess.

III

MADE IT

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so sharp

my throat growing. "Fuck." My voice cracked, and I closed my eyes, trying to stop myself from becoming one big fucking blubbering mess. "I wanted to get off that island so bad. I wasn't thinking. I was making stupid decisions, and I

never faltered, never stopped

voice broke completely as I buried my face deeper into the pillow. "Now, I probably won't get to see you ever again. I'm

my sobs, but Jess didn't speak, didn't pull away. She just kept stroking her fingers through my hair, gentle and steady, like it was the on Eventually, I forced

there, still soft and smiling, but it was different now. Fading, like

but it was like something was holding me down. My arms wouldn't move, and the harder I fought, the

tried harder to fight against it, but the more I moved,

MADE IT

lips moved, forming words I couldn't understand. The sound of her

raw, as I strained against whatever was holding me. "Say something-anything. Please tell me

with something I couldn't name. Then, as her voice whispered through the air again, I caught one word, clear and

was okay... was it okay to let go? Was I dying at the bottom of the fucking ocean? And then,

next breath I took tasted like salt and fire. My eyes flew

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