I came to, dazed. My shirt was off, and Gabe was wiping my chest with it. I tried to get up, but he held me down, forcing me to stay.

We didn’t speak, just stared, each lost in our own world.

“It wasn’t… that hot!” his voice was weak, his blue eyes still on mine, trying to justify.

“The oil was at the boiling point…” I broke, fighting tears, touching my nape.

“How did it happen?”

“You… threw the coffee!” I stood quickly, unwilling to talk about it.

“Where ...