He covered my hand over with his own. “I just realized after...it shouldn’t only be on you, either. I’ve got to adjust how I think, too. I think I need to talk to Lily. But I don’t want to go by myself. Will you go with me?”
I nodded quickly. “Of course. I want to.”
He smiled. He leaned over and I got up enough to kiss him, once, on the lips.
He backed up, beaming, and stood to head to the door. “After this week, though. Stay with Kota now. We need him.”
After he left and closed the door for me, I rose out of the water quickly. It was tempting to stay in the tub to soak, but I didn’t want to miss a moment.
I never wanted to miss any more moments.
This was what I wanted. I swallowed, emotion thickening my throat and dampening my eyes. I’d had the same thoughts since earlier.
I was out.
This was right.
I dried off and took some time to brush my hair and reclip it. I put on the shirt, big enough to cover my butt and hang off one shoulder.
It was comfortable, though, so I wore it, along with the other clothes. I allowed the tub to drain.
I opened the bathroom door to find Kota standing there, fist ready to knock. He stopped himself, backing up a half step.
His cheeks turned red. “Oh,” he said. “I just...” He wasn’t looking at me then but at my shoulder. He blinked a few times.
“Something wrong?” Then I realized—the bruise on my neck. Had he seen it? Did he realize what it was?
He reached out slowly, wiping at my shoulder blade. He brought his finger back.
It was covered with tiny sparkles.
I was surprised to see it. I tilted myself toward the light, finding my arms were covered as well. “There was a bath bomb,” I said. “It must have had some sparkles in there.”
He chuckled. “They’ll get all over the house now.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said. He wiped his finger across his shirt, creating a short sparkle streak across the green. His gaze lifted to my face.
I held it as long as I dared before blushing and looking at his shoulders instead. “How is...um...Luke and Gabriel didn’t know if Carol had left yet or if Lily and Liam were still over there. Do you know?”
He nodded and backed up another step, moving to sit on the bed, urging me to follow. “From what I know, Lily and Liam remained until Carol repacked her car with Jimmy and they took off for a local hotel. They called your dad. He hasn’t answered them back.”
The coward. I moved to the edge of the bed but remained standing. “Where is he now?”
“Still at work, although I wonder if he’ll actually contact them at all. Whatever happens, we’ll listen and we can be ready for it.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I just can’t believe...it all happened so quickly.”
Kota reached for my hand, tugging at it until I sat beside him. “Are you okay? I know we kind of rushed it. It seemed crazy to me, too, but Mr. Blackbourne...he was convinced it would work.”
“I’m okay with what happened,” I said. “I just can’t believe...I mean, it is hard to think I might actually be out for good. I can’t imagine the favors it might cost for using Liam and Lily.”
“I don’t know for sure, either,” he said. “But I don’t think it will cost as much, with the way Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green planned it. This was way less complicated than our long-term plan. We’ll have to talk to an Academy council to go over the last couple of days.” He held on to my hand still and brushed his thumb over my knuckles. “I’m more concerned about you, though.”
“I’m glad to be out,” I said. “I don’t know what the plan is now, though. Do I stay here?”
“For now,” he said quietly. “For the week. If you want. If you’re comfortable...”
“And then what?”
He shrugged. The glasses slipped down his nose a little and he adjusted them. “I think we’ll try having you spend the night with the others off and on. For now. I know that’s a little unstable. We can also use the trailer at the diner now, too. But if you prefer to stay in one place...”
I shook my head. “I’m okay,” I said. “I don’t mind going to different places.” I meant it. Any place was better.
He bit his lower lip. “You can always stay here. I could tell Erica.”
I wanted to reassure him again that it didn’t matter where I stayed, until I realized I sounded dismissive of the idea of staying with him.
I squeezed his hand gently, trying to sound very sincere. “Kota,” I said quietly. “I’m very happy that my first week away from that house, I’m here with you. I hope I haven’t ruined your birthday.”
A wide smile broke on his lips. “Sang...I...wanted you out. I got what I wanted. I wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon, and now it’s just here. Best day of my life.”
The whole thing was surreal. I’d gotten what I wanted, and he’d wanted the same. They all had. It was a moment in time. One minute my heart was so low, so broken from all the doubt and fear about my future. I worried about them all spending so much time watching me, waiting months...
And suddenly here I was.
Who would have thought the one person to help free me was the one person who had trapped me for so long? My stepmother, as much as I feared her, and as much as the thought of her still made my throat close up and my body start to shake...she had saved me.
While I still had to be concerned with the few loose ends left from my past, and to handle what happened, maybe I was finally out, at least. I had my Academy team to thank for it.
Now I could focus on the things Mr. Blackbourne had said I should. Getting healthy, and I vowed to be good about it. To eat right and sleep well. I wouldn’t dare give the Academy a reason to doubt that staying with the guys was anything but good for me, and for them.
I considered what I’d say next, and when I was sure, I simply said it. “About going to talk to Lily. You mentioned I could bring someone with me. I know it’s strange to bring up now, but...will you go with me?”
His hand relaxed. An eyebrow lifted, crossing the black rim of his glasses. “You want me to go?”
There was a hint of disbelief in his tone. It made me pause. “If you want to.”
His hand slowly became stronger, grasping a little tighter, and his smile returned. “Of course...sorry, I just...after what happened at camp and...”
My cheeks heated, and I looked down at our hands. “I’m sorry if you...if...with Gabriel...I’m sorry about that. And for the surprise that you found out.”
“No,” he said, lifting my hand a little higher in his, pulling it until my palm was pressed against his chest, over his heart. “No, no, I’m sorry. You...I know now. I had to talk to the guys a bit, but I realize now that admitting your feelings about ...us... how hard that was. No wonder you were so stressed out whenever...when I got close, you tensed. I wondered why. Now I know.”
It was true. He hadn’t known, and the guilt had been too strong to enjoy anything we did together. “It doesn’t have to be like that anymore. But I don’t want to push you...”
“I was the idiot who wasn’t paying attention,” he said. “It should have been obvious. Just like I wasn’t listening to you in the shower. I should have.”