He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt, could sense the trauma and grief she had been carrying. The knowledge that she had suffered so much because of his vulnerability made his chest ache with guilt and gratitude.
"I don't fully understand it myself," Noah admitted quietly, his voice carrying honest confusion mixed with wonder. "The shop did something—brought me back somehow. But I'm here now. I'm alive. And I'm not going anywhere."
Lola pulled back just enough to look up at his face, her ruby eyes swimming with tears but also blazing with fierce emotion. "Don't you dare die on me again. Ever. I can't... I can't go through that twice."
Her hands came up to frame his face, her touch gentle despite the intensity of her grip moments before. "When I thought you were gone, I realised something. You're not just my employer or my master or the shopkeeper. You're..."
