The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 120

The sky slowly began to darken.

The snowcat continued its thunderous march. Outside, the pristine white plains shifted into a moody, muted gray. The silhouettes of distant icebergs loomed in the fading light like dormant leviathans.

Lulled by the blast of the cabin heater and the sheer exhaustion of the journey, the team gradually nodded off.

Liam's head was tipped back, emitting soft, rhythmic snores. Diego had slumped against his seat, his phone still clutched in his hands and a satisfied streamer's grin plastered on his face. Professor Harrison rested with his eyes closed and his brow furrowed, looking as if he were trying to solve a complex equation in his sleep.

Sloane was exhausted too, drifting in that hazy space between wakefulness and sleep, feeling the heavy vibrations of the treads and the howl of the wind outside.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a soft rustling sound caught her attention.

She peeled her eyes open.

Somehow, Lilah had slipped down in her seat, her head drooping perfectly to rest heavily on Josh's shoulder. Her eyes were peacefully shut, her breathing steady as if she were in a deep, innocent slumber.

Josh's entire body went rigidly stiff.

His eyes snapped open. He glared down at the head resting against him, his brow furrowing so violently he looked ready to commit a felony.

Then he raised his hand, pinched the fabric of Lilah's sleeve with exactly two fingers—as if he were handling hazardous waste—and mercilessly shoved her head off his shoulder.

The motion was quiet, but fueled by pure, unadulterated disgust.

Shoved back into her own personal space, Lilah shifted slightly, but kept her eyes shut and maintained her performance of deep sleep.

Josh immediately leaned the opposite way, crowding into Sloane's space to maximize the distance, and tightly shut his eyes again.

Liam, seated across the aisle, caught the entire exchange.

He hadn't been fully asleep either. Peeling one eye open, he watched Josh physically repel the girl.

The burly diver frowned, a flicker of obvious displeasure crossing his face.

It was impossible to tell if he was annoyed at Lilah for invading Josh's space, or furious at Josh for treating the girl so harshly...

Just then, the snowcat violently lurched.

And then, it stopped.

The sudden jolt jolted everyone completely awake.

Diego nearly face-planted onto the floorboards, frantically grabbing the seatback to steady himself. "What's going on?! Are we there?!"

In the midst of the chaos, a chillingly calm voice cut through the noise.

"Professor, let me take a look."

Harrison turned, his expression fraught with worry.

"Josh, are you sure you can handle it?"

Josh stood up, casually shrugging on his heavy down parka as he moved toward the heavy exit door. "I'll go under and check. Everyone stay put."

Right on cue, Lilah jumped up from her seat. "Josh, let me come out and help you!"

*

Gale-force winds shrieked across the ice sheet, blasting icy pellets against the hull of the snowcat like a barrage of bullets.

A bright red emergency toolbox sat open on the ice, while Lilah squatted beside it, acting as an eager assistant passing him tools.

Josh lay flat on his back beneath the massive chassis. Unmelted frost clung to his bare fingertips as he expertly maneuvered a specialized low-temperature wrench, finally locking the frozen fuel line connector back into place.

The moment he slammed his palm against the external ignition override, the dead vehicle roared back to life with a deep, muscular growl. Inside the cabin, the dashboard blazed back to life with a steady neon blue, the digitized numbers stabilizing at last.