The dim glow of the old garage cast flickering shadows against the walls, the scent of oil and worn-out leather thick in the air. The storm outside had calmed, but inside, the tension between Zara and Rev was anything but still.
She sat on the edge of the cot, arms wrapped around herself, feeling the weight of the night pressing down on her. He stood a few feet away, silent, his presence filling the space with an energy she couldn't ignore.
It had been years. Years of unanswered questions, of searching, of trying to forget him. And yet, here they were, standing in the same room again like ghosts who refused to let go.
Rev finally broke the silence. "You should rest."
Zara scoffed, shaking her head. "Yeah, because that's possible."
He exhaled through his nose, the muscle in his jaw ticking. "You always overthink before a race. That hasn't changed."
She studied him, the dim light making the angles of his face sharper, the shadows deeper. "Neither have you. Still shutting people out. Still acting like the weight of the world is yours to carry."
His fingers twitched, but he didn't deny it.
Zara stood, stepping closer. The air between them felt charged, an invisible current pulling them together even as old wounds kept them apart.
"You were there that night, weren't you?" she asked.
Rev's posture stiffened, but he didn't look away.
Zara's pulse thrummed in her throat. "Say something."
His voice was quiet. "What do you want me to say?"
"The truth."
He exhaled sharply, his shoulders dropping as if he had been carrying something heavy for far too long. "I thought I was protecting you."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "By disappearing? By letting me think I was alone?"
Rev clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "You don't understand—"
"Then make me understand." She took another step, close enough now to see the flicker of hesitation in his eyes, the unspoken emotions he kept locked away.
He shook his head, jaw tight. "If I had told you the truth, Zara… I don't think you would've forgiven me."
Her breath caught. "You don't get to decide that."
The space between them was razor-thin now, the heat of him just within reach. She wanted to hate him for leaving, for keeping secrets. But more than that, she wanted to understand why.
His voice was raw when he finally spoke again. "I didn't leave because I wanted to. I left because I had to."
Zara's heart pounded against her ribs. "And now?"
Rev's gaze dropped to her lips for half a second before snapping back up to her eyes, a storm raging behind them. "Now… I don't know how to walk away."
Her chest tightened. This was dangerous—this closeness, this moment suspended in time where everything they had been running from threatened to pull them under.
Her fingers twitched at her sides. One move, one step closer, and she knew there would be no turning back.
But before either of them could decide—
A noise outside.
A car door slamming shut.
Rev's expression shifted instantly, the vulnerability vanishing as he moved toward the door.
"We have company," he murmured.
Zara's heart pounded for an entirely different reason now.
The past wasn't done with them yet.