When the Flame of Love Fades (Sierra) novel Chapter 268

Chapter 268 Not Just One of Us

Every day after finishing her lab work, Sierra would quietly go back to her corner and keep working on it. She’d failed more times than she could count. But this–this was the one she was most proud of.

To her, this place was their home. And that little handmade gift was the one thing she could truly give him.

Right after she finished explaining, Johnathan pulled her into a tight hug.

It was a long time before he finally spoke, his voice slightly choked.

“This is… the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Thank you.”

For the first time, his birthday didn’t feel so unbearable. Someone remembered. Someone cared. He wasn’t alone anymore.

That night, the two of them didn’t rest much.

From the living room to the bathroom to the bedroom–they left traces of themselves everywhere. No words, just the kind of closeness that came from need. They clung to each other like animals, as if holding on could drown out the pain inside.

Both of them had shadows in their hearts. But wrapped in each other’s arms, the dark didn’t feel so cold anymore.

Sierra didn’t even know when she passed out. The next morning, it was her phone ringing that finally woke her up–her senior was calling.

Even though her professor had granted her time off, she still had lab work to check in on.

Hearing how hoarse she sounded, Autumn immediately assumed she was sick.

“You didn’t look too good yesterday. Are you sick? Rest up. I’ll talk to the professor–he’ll give you a couple more days.”

Sierra coughed awkwardly. “No, I’m okay. I’ll be back to normal tomorrow.”

She couldn’t admit the truth.

Everyone else was sprinting toward deadlines and experiments… and she’d spent the day…

Yeah. Not exactly proud of that part.

Autumn started to say something else, but then they both heard a voice on the other end of the line.

“You awake? So, does anything hurt?”

Auturnn let out a sharp gasp and blurted, “No freaking way- before hanging up immediately.

Sierra was speechless.

Yeah. That pretty much gave it away.

Her cheeks flushed. There was no hiding it now.

Johnathan, totally unaware, leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Things between them had shifted. After last night, he no longer felt the need to hide behind a composed front. He let himself be soft with her.

“Hungry? Let’s get something to eat,” he said.

Sierra nodded. Then remembered something. “You can’t get your hands wet,”

I didn’t. I wore gloves”

Thank God he’d thought ahead. He didn’t want to risk messing things up just because he couldn’t cook.

She stretched with a line wince then cat un “I still have todavnff Want to an Aut somewhere?”