The unexpected hug really worried Alex. She wrapped her arms around him, frowning into his shoulder. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere."

She couldn't tell if he was scared for her, scared for himself, if something had happened that he didn't want to tell her about, or if something else entirely was going on. But if he was scared of losing her, she could reassure him about that.

She pulled out of the hug enough to give him an encouraging smile. "We're gonna get through this, okay? Together," she added insistently.