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“How’d Annabel even get ahold of you?”
“Er… turns out she still had me as a contact on an app we haven’t talked on since we were dating.”
She snorted, her back to me. “Missed a spot while scrubbing your life of us lowly nothings, huh?”
“I…Paisley.It wasn’t—”
“Ugh, stop it. You can’t say my name like that. It’s banned. I’ve banned it. Not allowed.”
I paused. “I—”
“I’m freezing my butt off out here. Plus, the doctor’s probably going to get mad if she finds out I jumped out the window.”
“Well. You probably shouldn’t jump out of windows when you’re sick and hospitalized, but what do I know…”
“Oh, like you’re such an expert in jumping out windows?”
I scratched my head. “That’s very clearly you. Do you… need to get back inside?”
She sighed, hard, turning away. “No. Come with me.”
“What—where?” I stumbled a little keeping up with her, but she didn’t answer me. She didn’t need to—it was only five, six minutes’ walking before I knew exactly where we were going.
How had it only been six months? It felt like I was seeing a relic from a lifetime ago. The redbrick buildings and cobblestone streets, ornate wrought-iron railings tangled with ivy, streetlamps on the side of buildings and the occasional shopfront still lit up late at night—like I’d stepped into a time capsule. It was quiet right now, the taste of rain hanging in the air and a low breeze ringing distant windchimes, and I needed that quiet night right now—the fewer people knew I was here, the better. I had no plans for how long I was here, but I knew I needed to be gone as soon as possible.
In theory, maybeas soon as possibleshould have meantonce I know Paisley’s okay,but I guess I had the answer already. I could have just left. She’d be fine. I’d be fine.
But I followed her, around the corner under a brick archway overgrown with moss and into the business block that I’d called home in my last life, around the picnic table and across the plaza, to the back door of Crystal Lights. Of my home. She pushed open the back door—she’d left it unlocked, because of course she did—and she led me inside.
She headed for the stairs, but she paused at the door into the bakery, pushing it open and peering through. The bakery floor was so nostalgic it felt like a knife to the heart—she’d kept it exactly the same. She’d been running it smoothly, too, from the looks of things, even if the stock was a bit lower than I kept it.
“Good,” she sighed, shutting the door again. “Looks like Fong dealt with the scorpion problem.”
I stopped. “The what problem?”
She perked up a little bit. “Oh, you know.”
“Scorpions?”
She laughed, giving me a sly look over her shoulder that felt like actually seeingheragain—it ached deep in my soul, regret at having left and being reminded I needed to leave again, and soon. “Oh, your face right now is priceless. I’m just kidding.”
I sagged. “Glad to see you’re doing okay enough for that, at least…”
“The walk did me some good,” she said, taking the stairs up ahead of me. “I’m fine, really. Emberlynn brought me a chicken burger and everything, got me the one from Brandy’s. Remember when I used to be eating them, like, every day? Ranch dressing, extra pickles, and horseradish. Nothing like a… a…”
She got to the top of the stairs, and just like that, she pitched, staggering and falling against the wall, and she almost fell face-forward onto the floor before I caught her. My heart jumped into my mouth, my hands shaking suddenly, as she struggled to steady herself again. “Paisley—” I started, and she giggled, a small and distant sound.
“Wow… sorry,” she said, her voice like it was coming from miles away. “Little… little dizzy. Seeing spots. Just a little bit.”
“Oh my god. You are notfine, really.You—sit down and I’ll bring you something to eat.”
“I had a chicken burger,” she protested, her voice a whine, almost slurred, as I led her through the door into the living room.
“Right—you need sugar. Not just chicken burgers. Sit—” I guided her to the couch, and she slumped into it, her face ghostly white. My heart was pounding so hard I felt like I’d throw up, but I laid a hand on her shoulder, forcing myself to stay calm. “I’m putting on some tea, and I’m going downstairs to grab you something to eat. Okay?”
She gave me a look like I’d just descended from the heavens, really… not all there. “You’re kinda hot in a suit…”
I’d… process that later. I squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
