Page 68 of More Than Just Friends

The smell of the smoke and burning flesh.

It was just like those scenes you see in films.

Except it was real.

I was shocked. Stunned. Absolutely distraught.

Everyone in the car perished.

Instantly.

Just like that they were gone.

It didn’t matter that I’d only been dating Travis for a few months. It still hit me hard.

I was dealing with the shock, the grief, but also guilt and relief.

That could’ve been me in that car.

I felt guilty and relieved that I’d survived.

And so that’s where my phobia for window seats developed.

For a while I was terrified about going in cars, full stop.

I was worried that I’d never be able to travel anywhere again.

But little by little, I started to get braver.

I was okay in cars and buses on flat land.

Trains and surprisingly planes were fine. As long as I wasn’t in a window seat.

In general, it seemed like it was only when I travelled in a car somewhere with steep drops that it triggered me.

A couple of times when I tried to push myself too much too soon and ignore my fears of travelling in a window seat, I’d ended up having panic attacks. That was when I knew I had to take it seriously.

I was much better now, but I knew for a fact that I couldn’t have got through those dark days without Noah.

He was always there for me.

Noah listened. He held me. He reassured me that it would get easier. And he was right.

I wouldn’t ever forget what happened. I still remembered the accident like it was yesterday. But the fact that I’d been able to come to Santorini and go on tours in such a mountainous country was already a breakthrough.

I had Noah to thank for a lot of that though. Imagine if he hadn’t stepped in and looked out for me during those coach journeys? If I’d been forced to sit by the window like Adonis wanted me to, I’d hate to think about what could’ve happened.

‘Hey.’ Noah reached across and squeezed my hand. ‘You’re gonna be okay. I’m here.’

Feeling his warm palm on top of mine instantly made me feel better.

With Noah, I always felt safe.

‘Thank you.’ I turned to face him. ‘You’re really… I…’

My brain scrambled. I wanted to tell him how grateful I was for everything he’d done for me but I couldn’t get the words out.

It wasn’t helped by the noticeable shift in the air.