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“Ri,” April whispered, her voice low and broken. “I can’t believe it’s really you!”
It hit Orion in the stomach, and she had the strongest urge to break down and cry in front of this stranger who used to be her best friend in the whole world. Her only true friend before that horrible day.
Luckily, she didn’t get the chance.
April moved forward to yank her into a bear hug she couldn’t escape from even if she wanted to. Orion couldn’t decide whether she wanted to or not. She didn’t want people touching her. At this point, she wasn’t sure if she wanted anyone to touch her ever again. But other parts of her craved it. A contact that wasn’t designed to hurt, to defile, to damage. A part of her was taken right back to the many hugs of their youth, their closeness, their bond. But she didn’t know how to differentiate.
This woman, April, didn’t let her decide. She just did it.
Orion did not relax into the hug, despite the smell of coconut and cigarettes—exactly how she smelled ten years ago—despite the fact she was warm and gentle. No, she didn’t move because she didn’t know how to be hugged or hug back.
Eventually April let her go, but stayed close, running her eyes up and down the length of Orion’s body, a look of disbelief crossing her features.
Her eyes were glassy but a small, melancholy smile jerked the corners of her lips upward.
“You look . . . the same, almost.” Her hand reached out to her face but stopped short at Orion’s flinch, her hand hovering a moment before moving back. She had pink, chipped nail polish on her fingers. “Your freckles are gone,” she said, little more than a whisper. “But you’re here.”
Orion didn’t know what to say. Did she compliment April’s outfit? Her tattoos? Ask her about her life that she got to have while Orion’s was stolen from her? Something in her ached to figure out a way to repair the gap in their friendship, to have at least something from before to hold on to. An anchor to her past so she didn’t float away completely.
“What are you doing here, April?” Orion asked finally. “How did you find us?”
April closed the door behind her, walking farther into the room and snatching a cold fry from a plate. She smiled to Jaclyn and Shelby. Shelby smiled shyly back, Jaclyn did not.
“Dumb shit brother of mine,” April replied, turning back to face Orion who was still standing in front of the door, in a sort of daze.
Orion blinked. “He told you where we were?”
April snorted. “Detective Hardass? Not a chance.” She placed her purse on Orion’s bed. “I overheard him on the phone. Probably talking to sex-on-a-stick, aka stick-up-his-ass Eric.”
Orion tried to process the information, both of them rushing back into her life before she even had a chance to acclimate. Was it selfish of her to need a bit of time to breathe? To put up some shields? She should’ve been glad to have these two blasts from her past as a sort of welcome home, but she wasn’t. She ached to be in silence. To stare at the glowing moon and figure out her thoughts. She didn’t need reminders of all the years she lost.
April was sharp, and despite the years between them, she saw it. Orion’s anger. “Oh, come on,” she said. “How could I not come and see you, Ri? It was my first thought the second I saw the news. The second I talked to Maddox. I mean, God, Ri. You’re alive! And yes, that’s how I found out, by the way. The fucking news. Your face on the TV. I wanted to kick Maddie’s ass right then and there. I dropped every plate I was holding. My manager almost fired me because of it, not that I care. Because you’re here, Ri.” She blinked rapidly, a single tear moving down her cheek. “I can’t believe it.”
She moved forward for another awkward hug that Orion did not participate in. She squeezed her shoulders before thankfully moving away and toward the bed.
“I’m April,” she said to Jaclyn, extending a hand. “Ri’s best friend.”
Jaclyn stared at her hand like it was something unpleasant and nodded. “Jaclyn,” she said without shaking her hand, nails long and painted pink.
April was not perturbed, and she moved along to Shelby for the same song and dance.
Shelby smiled shyly, taking her hand. “I’m Shelby. Nice to meet you.”
April leaned forward to run her hands through Shelby’s hair. Surprisingly, Shelby didn’t flinch back from the contact. Which was baffling since she was near a panic attack when her parents had held her in their arms a few hours ago.
“Well, aren’t you just gorgeous,” April exclaimed. “You could be a model.”
Shelby’s cheeks reddened and she smiled nervously. Orion knew that Shelby hadn’t been complimented genuinely in her adult life.
