Girl Get Rid Of That Jerk (Williams and Shawn)

Joshua's voice was low and rough. "I didn't come alone-John and I are taking turns driving. Allie, I won't feel right until I see you with my own eyes.”

It was nearly six hundred miles. Even with perfect roads it would take ten hours, and with Havenbrook half-underwater from the floods, there was no telling how long it would actually take.

Allison clutched her phone, knuckles white, heart pounding so hard it almost hurt. Her eyes prickled, tears threatening to fall.

She was touched, honestly, but her words came out sharp. "Who asked you to come looking for me? Joshua, it's dangerous here there's flooding everywhere. Don't do this just to make yourself feel noble, okay? If something happens to you, I can't take that on. I'm fine, really. Go home. Don't come."

Joshua let out a dry, self-deprecating laugh. “Nobody asked me to come. I wanted to, Allie. If anything happens, it's on me-not you."

Allison's throat tightened, her eyes stinging. "Joshua, I don't want you here. Please, just go back!"

This village was out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by floodwater, with mudslides possible anywhere nearby.

Joshua coming out here was just too dangerous.

She couldn't let him risk himself for her.

But he wasn't listening.

His voice was barely holding together, thick with emotion. "Allie, if something happened to you... I don't see the point in anything anymore."

Allison's heart squeezed, the pain sharp and relentless.

Wave after wave, it hurt.

"I'm not scared of danger," Joshua said, voice ragged, "I'm just scared I'll never see you again."

After the storm, the sky was impossibly clear, the sunset spilling orange and gold across the horizon. The clouds looked almost on fire, like something out of a dream.

Allison let out a shaky breath, tears blurring everything.

That night, Allison couldn't sleep.

No matter how she tossed and turned, she couldn't stop thinking about Joshua. Worry gnawed at her.

The rain had stopped, but the village was still isolated, floodwaters slow to drain away.

She couldn't help but imagine something happening to him.

She was wide awake when-

A soft knock came at the door.

Allison got up and opened it.

Willow was outside.

"What's up?" Allison asked.

Willow handed her a phone. "Allison

the called this afternoome

just texted. Thought you'd Thought you'd want to

see it." want t

Allison's heart skipped.

She glanced down at the screen.

[Don't worry about me. Get some sleep. See you tomorrow.]

Allison felt her anxiety melt away, her whole body finally relaxing. She gave Willow a grateful smile, handing back the phone. "Thank you. Sorry to bug you so late."

"It's no trouble," Willow said quietly. "Try to rest."

Allison nodded.

She slipped back into bed, the tension gone.

See you tomorrow.

Three little words, full of hope.noveldrama

She smiled to herself.

Sleepiness crept in, and Allison finally drifted off.

At dawn, a commotion downstairs woke her.

Allison opened her eyes, remembering in a rush—Joshua!

He'd said he'd get to Havenbrook around midnight.

She scrambled into her clothes, ran a brush through her hair, and hurried down the stairs.

The water had finally pulled back, leaving damp patches all over the concrete.

As she reached the bottom, she saw him right away-standing under the eaves, his back to her.

There he was, quiet and alone.

He was always so neat, but now his

shoes were caked with mud,

his

pantsed with dirt and water, his shirt splattered with tiny spots of mud.

IMS