Nina “And we have now landed in Mountainview. Thank you for flying with us.” The pilot’s muffled voice crackled over the airplane speakers, rousing me from a fitful sleep. When I cracked my eyes open, the old woman beside me shot me a smile. “Sleep well?” she asked. I nodded, stifling a yawn
Nina Lori’s sobs wracked her body, and I held onto her tightly, trying to offer whatever comfort I could. The sterile hospital waiting room seemed like it was worlds away from the tranquil pine trees outside, and the smell of cleaning agents was almost dizzying. “Lori, what happened?” I managed
Nina Lori and I had been sitting in that sterile hospital waiting room for what felt like an eternity. The seconds dragged by like hours, the minutes like days. We had long since left the cafeteria, having given up on trying to soothe ourselves with bitter coffee. Finally, the door to the waitin
I tightened my grip on her, offering whatever comfort I could. “We’ll take it one step at a time, Lori. We’ll be here for Jessica, no matter what. And as for taking care of yourself, I’ll help you. You don’t have to go through this alone.” Lori nodded, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion. “Thank
Enzo Practice was just about finishing up, and the hockey team was running through one final mock scrimmage before I let them go for the day. I was leaning against the pillar next to the rink, wearing my plain clothes today; I didn’t want to be on the ice today in case there was an emergency cal
Nina I wasn’t sure exactly how long Lori and I sat in the hospital room, staring at our friend’s sleeping body. Each minute seemed to melt into the next, and both of us felt helpless. I did what I could to comfort Lori, but it was no easy task. Finally, the clock struck ten PM, and I knew th
“I just can’t stand the idea of her not being here,” she said with a sniff. “I don’t know what I would do without her.” “Me neither,” I said with a sigh. I sank down onto the couch beside her, and we were silent for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts. I kept thinking back to when we first m
Enzo “Are you sure you’re a human, Enzo?” Mila and I stood in the dimly lit room, the hum of medical equipment filling the air. She had just finished going over my physical therapy results, and her eyes were no longer fixed on the tablet in her hand, but were instead boring holes into me now
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied