8.Danny

The tension in the room is almost unbearable now. I can tell Jane is wary of me, and it hurts more than I want to admit. She's jumpy, her eyes darting around nervously, and the easy smiles she'd been giving me all day have disappeared. The room feels colder without them.

I try to bridge the gap between us, reaching out to touch her arm, to offer some comfort, but she flinches away, her eyes wide and cautious. The rejection stings, but I can't blame her. Not after what she found.

"Jane," I say softly, trying to keep my voice gentle. "I promise you, I'm not going to hurt you."

She nods, but the concern in her eyes doesn't dissipate. I take a step closer, feeling the need to reassure her, to show her that I'm not the monster she's imagining. I lean in, intending to kiss her, to offer some semblance of the connection we had earlier, but she pulls back, avoiding my touch entirely.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair, and turn away from her, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. Outside, the sky has darkened, and the first rumbles of thunder echo through the swamp. A storm is rolling in, fast and furious.

The wind picks up, rattling the windows, and I turn back to Jane, seeing her eyes flicker with a new kind of fear. "Look," I say, raising my voice to be heard over the growing tempest. "It's not safe out there, but if you want I'll take you home?"

She looks at me, her expression torn. I can see the conflict in her eyes—she doesn't want to stay here with someone she's unsure of, but the storm outside is dangerous, and she knows it.

"Maybe you'd rather take your chances with the storm than stay here in a boathouse with a suspected murderer," I add, my voice bitter despite my attempt to keep it light.

Her eyes flash with something like guilt, and she shakes her head. "It's not that, Danny…"

I nod, swallowing hard. "I understand. But the storm is no joke. It's safer here. You can leave in the morning, once it's passed."

She bites her lip, glancing toward the window where the rain has started to pour in earnest. Thunder crashes, and she jumps, her decision made for her. "Okay. I'll stay."

"Good," I say, relieved but still on edge. "Let's make sure everything's secure. The storms around here can get pretty rough."

We move around the boathouse, closing windows and securing anything that might blow away. The air between us is thick with unspoken words, the chemistry that once felt so natural now fraught with tension and uncertainty.

Once everything is secure, we sit back down, the howling wind and pounding rain creating a cacophony outside. I can feel Jane's unease, and it kills me that I'm the cause of it.

"Jane," I start, my voice barely audible over the storm. "I swear to you, I didn't do it. I'd never hurt anyone."

She nods slowly, her gaze drifting to the floor. "I believe you."

"Good," I say earnestly. "Because I don't know what I would've done if you'd run out of here, screaming bloody murder."

Jane flashes a pale smile, that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

The storm rages outside, each lost in our thoughts. The loaded energy between us ebbs and flows with every crash of thunder, and I can only hope that come morning, the storm will have passed in more ways than one.