Skylar’s pulse was still racing, the remnants of the scare lingering in her chest, but she quickly steadied herself as she took in Joe’s figure standing in the doorway. The dim light from her phone cast long shadows, but the recognition of his voice, familiar and steady, soothed her nerves.
“Why didn’t you turn on the lights?” Joe’s voice broke through the lingering tension in the room.
“I… I think there’s a power outage,” Skylar replied, trying to calm herself, her breath still a bit uneven. She took a small step forward, closer to him.
Joe’s gaze softened, his eyes catching the light of her phone as he surveyed her carefully. “Are you alright?” He stepped closer, his presence grounding her. Skylar nodded, though she still felt a slight unease—both from the situation and the lingering bitterness of the encounter with Christopher.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, though her voice was softer than usual. “I just had a run-in with someone. Someone I’d rather not see again.”
Joe raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to the story, but he didn’t press. Instead, he switched on his own phone’s flashlight and began walking toward the power panel. “Let’s check it out. You didn’t just come here for the dark, did you?”
Skylar smiled a little, her nerves slowly dissipating as she realized how much comfort she found in Joe’s calm presence. “Not really,” she said, following him into the hallway.
As Joe worked on checking the fuse box, Skylar leaned against the wall, her thoughts turning inward. She had been so caught up in confronting Christopher and dealing with the aftermath, she hadn’t even thought about where she was heading after. But now that she was here, in this familiar space, she felt a sense of peace—one she hadn’t realized she’d been craving.
“Done,” Joe finally announced, flicking the switch. The lights flickered on, brightening the room in an instant. He turned back to Skylar, offering a small smile. “Better?”
“Much,” Skylar replied, relieved. “Thank you.”
Joe leaned against the doorframe, his expression growing serious. “You seem off. What happened with Christopher?”
Skylar sighed, feeling a weight settle in her chest. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to say, but something about Joe made her feel like she could let her guard down, at least a little. “He just doesn’t get it,” she muttered, her voice low and filled with the bitterness of the confrontation. “He keeps lying, trying to make me believe that none of it was his fault. But I’m done.”
Joe’s gaze softened, his eyes understanding. “He doesn’t deserve you. You know that, right?”
Skylar nodded, her throat tightening slightly. “I do now. But it took me a long time to get here.”
Joe studied her for a moment, then stepped forward, his voice gentle but firm. “Good. Because you deserve better than someone who doesn’t appreciate you.”
Skylar met his eyes, the sincerity in his words resonating deep within her. She hadn’t realized until now how much she’d been holding onto the past. But standing here, with Joe’s steady presence beside her, she felt a sense of clarity. Maybe it was time to let go of the ghosts of her past, to leave behind the toxic people and the mistakes that had clouded her judgment.
“Thanks, Joe,” she said quietly, offering him a small but genuine smile.
Joe gave her a small, knowing nod. “Anytime, Skylar. Anytime.”
And in that moment, something shifted within her—a feeling of warmth, of support. For the first time in a long while, she felt like maybe she wasn’t so alone after all.
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