Uncertainty - Stanford Pines x Reader (female)

Chapter 58

I sprinted into the forest, the darkness swallowing me as I wove between the trees, desperate to put as much distance as I could between myself and the Shack. The night was unnervingly quiet, my own footsteps and ragged breathing the only sounds breaking the stillness. But I didn't stop. Not until I caught sight of a familiar figure up ahead, partially obscured by shadows.

Ford stood there, half-hidden beneath a canopy of trees, his silhouette tense and watchful. The instant his eyes found me, I saw his shoulders sag with relief. For a second, neither of us moved, both caught in the surreal aftermath of what we'd just done. I slowed to a walk, every nerve in my body still buzzing with adrenaline, and finally came to a stop a few paces in front of him.

"Are you alright?", he asked, his voice low but laced with genuine concern as he scanned my face.

I nodded, though my heart still thundered, my chest heaving with every breath. "I did it.", I murmured, barely managing the words.

His eyes widened, a flicker of surprise and relief in them. He took a step closer, his gaze searching my face, taking in the exhaustion and the lingering fear in my expression.

Ford's eyes softened, something like gratitude and regret mingling in his gaze. For a moment, the two of us stood there in the dark, as though caught between two worlds—one in which none of this had ever happened, and the strange reality we now shared. "You did.", he agreed softly, the pride obvious in his voice, and it sent a warm flicker of satisfaction through me.

There was relief in his expression, but something heavier, too. I saw his gaze flicker briefly toward the ground, as if contemplating everything that had brought us here.

"Thank you.", he said softly, his voice breaking through the silence. "I didn't want you to have to... do this alone."

The words hung between us, heavy with the understanding of everything we'd been through together. Despite the tension, despite the way things had fallen apart between us, there was a quiet sincerity in his voice that cut through my lingering fear.

"I had to.", I replied, swallowing hard. "I know you wanted to, but... you know."

He nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching in something like a grimace. "Yes. Yes, I know. But if anything had gone wrong—" He stopped himself, and I could see the worry, the fear, that had been gnawing at him this whole time.

I almost—almost—smiled at his words. It was the most he'd said to me in weeks, and despite everything, there was something almost endearing about his genuine concern. "But it didn't.", I replied softly, the edge in my voice giving way to a weary sort of exhaustion.

"But it could have."

I looked away, rubbing at my arms as if trying to shake off the chill that clung to me. The reality of what I'd done, what we'd both been through, was finally settling in. We'd altered the past, erased memories, crossed lines that neither of us had ever anticipated. And yet here we were, standing side by side in the middle of the forest, two people tied together by something neither of us could fully explain.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the soft rustle of leaves as the night breeze blew through the trees, and the steady rhythm of our breathing. I could feel his gaze on me, the question in his eyes, the way his mind was likely racing with the same thoughts running through my own. I didn't look at him, though. Not yet.

Ford took a hesitant step closer, his hand reaching out but then halting midway, as if unsure if he should bridge that distance. The hurt between us lingered like an invisible wall, but I could see his hesitation soften as he searched my face.

"I'm glad you're safe.", he said quietly, his voice barely a murmur.

His words cut through the tension, the simple statement a clear olive branch. I still didn't meet his gaze, my own emotions a knotted mess of conflicting feelings, but I couldn't help the small pang of warmth that his words stirred within me.