"I'll be there to show you the way." He winked, my insides warming. The gaze in his eyes made my heart tingle.
I was about to wrap my fingers into his shirt and pull him forward for a kiss when the door swung open.
"Hey, she's awake." AJ beamed, filling the room with his sunny presence. Lifting the bag in his hand, he wiggled his eyebrows. "I smuggled you in some goodies. Time to start fattening you up, skinny one."
He placed the bag on the chair as I shot a grin at Zach. He just chuckled, leaning back as Elliot and the girls entered the room. Liesl nudged Zach aside so she could snaffle a gentle hug and kiss me on both cheeks. It still hurt, but I managed to hide my grimace. The painkillers were definitely dulling the sense, but not making it numb. Her brown eyes were filled with motherly care as she held my face.
"How you holding up?"
"I'm good." I nodded.
"You don't look great." Jaeda's nose wrinkled.
"Thanks," I replied drily.
Her sweet titter made me grin. "But you will, sweet girl. Liesl and I are taking you shopping as soon as you're able."
"That might take some training," Elliot whispered. "These girls are marathon shoppers. You've been warned."
I smiled at his emphatic expression, my grin softening to a tender look of gratitude. He shook his head slightly, his tough exterior breaking for just a moment.
"You're welcome," he mouthed and gave me a wink before sliding over the chair next to Zach and plopping into it. Punching his friend in the arm, he started up a conversation about his epic battle of Halo 2 the night before.
I turned from them to watch the girls fluffing around the bag with AJ as he extracted all manner of sweet smelling baking. The table beside me was soon laden with goodies. Jaeda picked at the chocolate slice, her eyes sparkling with pleasure as she licked her lips and sighed.
"I love you, AJ." She shook her head and dove in for some more.
Liesl wrapped her slight arm around AJ's thick waist and tiptoed up to kiss his chin. "Not as much as I do."
He smiled down at her, bending low so they could properly suck face. My nose wrinkled.
"Don't watch." Jaeda rolled her eyes. "It can go on for a really long time." She shoved the rest of the slice into her mouth. "So, now that all this crap is behind you, what are you gonna do?"
My mouth went dry. I glanced at Zach who was still deep in conversation, my insides lurching with that all too familiar fear.
I had no idea.
All these guys were going off to college soon and with a certain sense of dread it dawned on me that I was now homeless. I had no place to run. I had no one to run from. The sole purpose in my life was no longer there and as awesome as that was, I'd never felt more vulnerable.
Epilogue
LUCY
"So how are you feeling now, Lucy?"
Joanne, my counselor, had such a soft voice. It always soothed me.
I nodded my head with a grin. "Good. I've had a good month."
"And the dreams?"
"They're easing. I mean, I still have them every now then, but I can go most nights now without anything waking me up." Particularly on the nights I slept beside Zach. I bit my lip, barely able to contain my excitement. I hadn't seen him since Spring Break and I was in major countdown mode. Two sleeps to go and I'd be in his arms again.
"You're coming up to a year since the incident. How do you feel about that?"
I cleared my throat, stretching my neck and trying to think as honestly as I could.
"I thought I'd be scared and that it would haunt me, but it is really over now. All the interviews and the media coverage. Everything's died down and I feel more able to get on with my life. I think having my slate wiped clean has really helped with that. I don't have anything to fear. No one is chasing me. I still have to remind myself of that, but it's getting easier."
"So you don't feel so vulnerable then?" The counselor's eyes softened with a smile as I shook my head.
"Having people around me has really helped. They make me feel secure."
That was the truth. It had taken a long time for that helpless feeling to ebb. Even though the police and FBI had deemed me innocent and I hadn't been convicted of murder, I still felt like it would fall apart and my past could catch up to me. There was talk of me doing community service to make up for my conning, but after some pretty hefty persuasion from the Schultz's lawyer, the judge agreed to me doing a year's worth of counseling instead. In a way, Joanne was kind of like my parole officer, just a really soft-spoken, gentle one.
"So living with Zach's parents has ended up being a good thing?" She leaned back in her seat, twirling the pen in her fingers.
I nodded.