Point Of No Return

Chapter 10: Resonance

𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧.

A month. That's how long it had been since I'd seen Hudson Reed.

Since the night on the Whitmans' back porch. Since his voice had wrapped around my name like it belonged to him. Since his fingers had barely brushed my lip and still managed to wreck me. Since he admitted—casually, like it meant nothing—that Finn wasn't wrong. That I had looked hot.

I had spent weeks picking apart that moment, dissecting every shift in his expression, every hesitation in his voice, every unreadable flicker of emotion in his eyes. I had replayed the scene in my head so many times that I wasn't sure what was real anymore and what my mind had warped into something more. And then Thanksgiving came and went, taking him with it.

The Reeds had been gone, off in Savannah with Mrs. Reed's family, leaving me with too much time to think. Too much space to analyze. Especially that picture. I hated how much that picture had bothered me. I hated not knowing who it was and obsessing over it. Over her. And him.

And now, they were back.

Which meant tonight, the dinner that had been skipped in November was finally happening. At my house.

The realization settled heavy in my stomach as I helped Mom set up in the dining room, my movements mechanical, my thoughts elsewhere. I tried to shake the nerves creeping up my spine, but they refused to settle. I told myself it was ridiculous, that I had spent months dreading these dinners when the Reeds first arrived, so why was I suddenly so hyper-aware of this one?

Why was I checking the clock every few minutes, pretending I wasn't? Why did my stomach twist every time I heard a car drive by?

Jesus. Get a grip.

The Whitmans arrived first, as they always did. James had already gone back to school, but Alex was there, piling in with his parents and immediately making himself at home. He gave me a lazy wave before making a beeline for the kitchen, because apparently, that was the first priority.

I kept myself busy setting the table, listening to the murmur of voices from the other room, but my focus splintered the second I heard another car pull in. My heart slammed against my ribs as the sound of car doors closing echoed through the chilly December air. Every attempt to calm my nerves had failed, and the anticipation settled deep in my chest, making my skin feel too tight.

Finn was the first one through the door.

"Lawson!" he greeted, his grin easy, his confidence taking up space the second he stepped inside. He shrugged off his jacket like he lived here, tossing it toward me without hesitation. "Miss me?"

I caught the jacket before it could hit me in the face, scowling. "No."

Finn just smirked, completely unfazed. He grabbed the jacket from my grip and draped it over the nearest chair before disappearing into the house, already laughing with Isaac before I could come up with a better retort.

But I barely heard him.

I stood in the living room, hands curled into my sleeves, trying not to look like I was scanning the crowd, but my stomach dipped when I didn't see him.

Finn reappeared from the hallway just as my eyes flicked toward the door. His smirk widened. "Looking for someone?"

I straightened, heat creeping up my neck. "No. Just... making sure everyone's here."

Finn's eyes gleamed, all too aware. "Your emotional support introvert is on his way, don't worry."

A sharp breath lodged in my throat, and I hated the way my pulse betrayed me, the way the simple confirmation sent a rush of both relief and nerves through me. I forced myself to roll my eyes, to act unaffected, but Finn just grinned, already moving toward the kitchen.