Lena’s POV
My phone was still very warm in my hand from the last time our call rang. The clock was on the nightstand and it flowed: 1:47am. Sofia’s name lit up on the screen. I answered the first time that it rang.
“Sofia?”
“I’m sorry.” She choked out. Her voice cracked like it was thin ice. “It’s worse tonight. I can’t— I can’t stay here all by myself.”
My heart squeezed so hard. I sat up in the bed and I was already reaching for the lamp. “You don’t have to. Couch is yours. Or the guest bed. Whatever feels safe. I’ll leave the porch light on.”
She hesitated. I could hear her breathing uneven through the line. “It’s late. I don’t want to—”
“I want you here,” I said quietly. “Please.”
A long pause. Then, small and shaky: “Okay. I’m coming.”
I dropped the call and I sent her the ad
