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OCTAVIA
“What do you mean you booked us a trip?” I blink at Lincoln across his kitchen table, trying to process everything. “We can’t travel; East is still healing.”
“I’m staying home,” East says softly. “I have rehab and shit to get through, but it’s Spring Break, and you all deserve a break.”
“We can’t go without you.”
He takes my hand and kisses the inside of my wrist. “Yes you can. I want you to.”
I purse my lips, guilt tugging at my heart, but the idea of a mini break does sound good.
“I mean, it’s already booked, we leave this afternoon. You just need to pack,” Lincoln says, shrugging as he takes a sip of his coffee. “Surprise?”
I bark out a laugh. “Of course.” I sigh and look back over at East. “Are you sure you don’t mind being left behind? It feels wrong going without you.”
“We’ve got forever. A few days away isn’t going to change that.”
“You see,” Linc says, “it’s agreed. Now go pack.”
I quirk a brow at him. “When has ordering me to do anything ever worked for you?”
“I can think of a few times,” he says lowly, and a blush spills across my chest.
Asshole.
“Fine. Fine. I need to let Smithy know.” I stand, pulling my phone from my pocket as I do. “I might need to go shopping.”
“Anything you don’t have, we can get when we’re there. It’s Mexico, not the middle of nowhere,” Lincoln says, rolling his eyes at me. “Four nights doesn’t require a shopping trip.”
East grins at him. “It might.”
“Okay, I can totally do this.” I paint a smile on my face. I’m awesome at giving gifts, but receiving them… yeah I suck at that.
I kiss them both goodbye and start running through everything I’m going to need in my head. I fire a message off to Smithy to tell him what’s happening, sending a similar one to Indi so she doesn’t think I’ve just fallen off the face of the earth.
When I’m home, I drag a small suitcase out of the spare room closet and stare at it.
Can I really go away right now? We have zero answers about who Panda was working with. We don’t know what the Knights want from me, and the meeting with them is still hanging over my head. We still don’t know if what Panda said about Edward is true… and I didn’t get any real answers about my mom.
Wow… when I put it like that, we haven’t really achieved much. I know we’ve had a lot going on, and I’m recovering, all while trying to actually graduate high school, but goddamn we kind of suck at the moment.
I wonder if Linc has put it all together like that.
Who am I kidding? Of course he has. It’s blatantly driving him insane, but he’s also dealing with his father and the Georgia thing.
Maybe we really do need this break. Just a moment to push pause on the crazy of our lives and come back refreshed so we can actually get shit done.
Letting out a deep breath I drop onto the bed.
Is this really a good idea? Should we go away with everything hanging in the air like this?
“You up there, princess?” Maverick’s voice echoes in the foyer, bringing a smile to my lips.
“Yeah, up here,” I call out, my smile widening at the sound of his footsteps racing up the stairs.
He bursts into the room, full Superman pose, and I burst out laughing. “Psyched for our trip?”
“Feeling a little guilty about it. Wondering if it’s a good time to go away with everything. But other than that… yes?”
