“Let’s just stick to the subject.”
“You’re no fun.”
“I’m a blast, remember? A total blast.”
“You will be when you’re happy. When your heart gets set free. I promise it.” Her entire voice changed, my careless sister so intuitive beneath her crass.
“Give us a couple days to figure something out, okay? We’ll get it. Somehow, we will get it.”
“Just be careful. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.”
“Pssh, do you think I’m scared of a little biker?”
Exasperation heaved from me on a sigh. “I’m scared that you’re not.”
Tinkling laughter rolled from her, then she sobered. “I have one question for you, Aster. Are you afraid, right now? Are you safe?”
Emotion tightened my throat. “I’m afraid I’ve never felt safer in my life.”
Silence held for a beat before she whispered, “There’s our answer. Leave it to your baby sister to get the rest of this shit taken care of.”
* * *
Two days later, I was sitting at the round table in the kitchen, hand sweeping over the little sheets of paper I’d ripped from the journal, trying to process these feelings I wasn’t sure how to deal with. It had always been what I’d done, escaped into my thoughts and tried to process them on a page. Left messages from my heart and prayed the right soul would receive them.
That I could be heard.
Found.
The door buzzer rang.
So lost to the memories of this very day from years ago, I jolted back to the present. I didn’t know if it was a problem or a simple variant of self-preservation.
Gretchen was at the kitchen sink, and she dried her hands on a towel and started in that direction. “Oh, there they are. It’s about danged time.”
She sent an excited glance my way.
“Are we expecting company?”
Worried, I looked down at myself.
I was wearing sweats and another of Logan’s tees.
I loved the feeling of him surrounding me.
Holding me.
Even when he wasn’t there.
Clearly, I was getting too comfortable in this new, temporary skin.
“That we are, sweet thing.”
“Who?” I wondered if I should make a beeline for the seclusion of my room.
“Well, it’s a special day, and they want to make sure Logan knows it,” she answered without really answering at all.
It was a special day.