“Oh my god,” she whispered, immediately feeling stupid for stating the obvious, but what else was there to say? Her heart pounded in time with the distant thunder.

Daniel moved closer, his presence warming her one side. “It is,” he agreed, something quieter in his voice now, almost reverent, like he was sharing something sacred. “There’s something humbling about witnessing the raw power of nature like this. It puts everything into perspective.”

Juniper glanced at him, her chest felt sunken in but seemed to be extending toward him. In the otherworldly glow of the sky, his features seemed softer, almost grounded along side her. She allowed herself to imagine what it might be like to lean into him, to let his strength shelter her from the storm.

The wind continued to swirl around them, its touch alternately gentle and fierce. Juniper’s hair danced in the breeze, the strands whipping across her face. She reached up to brush them away, her fingers trembling slightly.

Smooth, Juni. Very composed.

Daniel’s hand twitched at his side, as if he’d been about to reach for her, to help tame her storm. But he hesitated, the moment stretching between them like a held breath for all of .