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"I have to step away from work," I whispered, so afraid that as soon as the universe heard me, it'd take away my gifts. That's what I had to untangle—the urgency of it all.
"I let myself get lost in it. It's happened before," I confessed. "The only thing that brought me back was time away."
"That's fine," Sage assured. "Great. You're doing what you need to do."
"Not what I want," I said.
She smiled. "Most of the stuff artists do to stay healthy isn't what we want. I'm happy you know what needs to be done and proud that you're strong enough to do it."
I nodded, feeling a little better about the decision. "It's this, or work till my hand is permanently damaged. If that happens, I won't have a choice. My body will decide for me."
"Exactly." Sage kissed my forehead. "But before you let it all go, I have another surprise for you."
"I've been showered with flowers and a home-cooked meal." I was smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. "What else could a girl want?"
"How about some help finishing her final chapter?" Sage let go of me, starting toward her abandoned phone and boiling pot.
My brows furrowed. "What? You didn't…Sage, I didn't want you to finish my chapter. It was Leisah's work that took priority, and that's too much for you on top of everything else. There's no point in both of us working until our hands break."
She shook her head. "No, I know. I told you—we're not killing ourselves for this anymore. I called in help."
"Help?"
"Yeah," she said. "And it was so hard to ask that I almost threw up multiple times during the process."
I laughed. "Really?"
"Really, but I got through it for you," she explained. "Now, reinforcements are on their way."
"Reinforcements?"
"Our team. The one we should have leaned on since day one instead of trying to crush each other in our battle of egos."
I smiled at the description. "Ah, that one."
The doorbell rang, and Sage gave me a smack on the butt before hurrying past. Tyson, Harry, and Seline filtered through the door, dressed in sweats and hoodies like they'd just rolled out of bed and decided to hurry over. Despite the dark circles under their eyes and collective yawns, their voices were excited.
"We brought espresso," Seline announced, holding the to-go carriers up. "And music, because we know you ladies like that sad shit, and we're not vibing in that somber mood tonight."
"How's the hand?" Harry stopped in front of me with a small bouquet of lilacs. My heart could have burst from his kind voice and the blush on his cheeks.
"It's pretty bad," I said. "Like not drawing for the next few months bad."
He frowned. "I'm so sorry, Noah. Truly."
"It's my fault." I accepted the flowers and stepped into his hug. "But thank you; for the flowers and for coming."
"Of course," he whispered in my ear, giving me a squeeze before letting me go. "We couldn't imagine not helping you see this through. You'd do it for us."
"I'm not great at art on paper," Tyson confessed with a laugh. "But I'm here for whatever you guys need. Food runs, water refills, music changes."
"No one is touching the music," Seline said with a pointed look. "I have to deal with you a-holes at work, and we’re out of office right now.”
"This is my apartment," Sage reminded her with a good-natured smile. "So, technically, there's still a hierarchy but continue."
"No one touches the playlist," Seline doubled down. "Let me have this. I'm stuck on this team, so let me have this."
"When are you going to admit you turned down an offer to switch to the Six?" Tyson raised a brow at her.
