Tangled

Unshift 279

Unshift 279

279 Ava: Best Friends Together Again

Kellan nods reluctantly, trudging off the porch with slow steps. I shake my head, still smiling, and step inside.

“Lisa?” I call out. "It's safe to come out now. I've banished the big bad wolf."

A muffled curse comes from the direction of my bedroom, followed by the sound of shuffling feet. Lisa appears in the doorway, wrapped in'a towel, her wet hair dripping onto the shoulders.

"Is he really gone?" she asks, peering around me suspiciously.

I nod. "He's outside. I told him to give you some space."

Lisa's shoulders relax, and she pads over to the couch, sinking into it with a heavy sigh. "Thank God. I thought he was going to break down the bathroom door. I had to kick him out because he kept peeking in to make sure I was okay. While showering"

"Yes, I'm not surprised." I toss a few things at her to wear. Shirt, pants, underwear. "These aren't fancy, but none of us got to bring our wardrobe."

"I never realized what a luxury clothes are," Lisa agrees, unperturbed by the mismatched and style-less choices, hopping into the bathroom to get dressed. "Do you happen to have a hair dryer?" "Nope."

"Damn. Oh, well."

Lisa emerges from the bathroom, striking an exaggerated pose in the oversized clothes I've given her. The baggy fabric hangs off her frame, accentuating how thin she's become.

"How do I look?" she asks, her voice playful but strained.

My heart clenches painfully in my chest. "Fabulous as always," I manage, forcing a smile. "You could make a potato sack look good."

there. She flops onto the couch, and I join her, our shoulders touching. For a moment, we just sit there, the silence heavy with unspoken words. "How are you really

want to think about it right now, if that's okay." She reaches for my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Can we just focus on the fact that I'm here? With you? God, Ava, I missed you so much." Guilt

interrupts, her voice

words keep spilling out, raw and painful. "There was no way to get to you. We didn't know where you were, and then we did, but we were powerless to save you immediately, and then... then there was the

11:30

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Ava: Best Friends

had to be there. I felt like I was betraying

it, okay? I hate that our... our selfishness brought all this tragedy to Westwood. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I was with you every

want to say, so many questions I want to

we sit, hands clasped, lost in our own

"So, do you have any coffee around

so, but we'd have to let Kellan in. He's

grin flashes across her face. "Though the food is always

"Still, he orders it."

that

"And olives."

adds

aren't too unhappy with how things

out of nowhere growling and ready to tear us apart.

Ava. Not a peck. Not a smooch. He just grabbed me like this-" she moves her

on my hand. "Was it good,

only mouths. But everyone was watching. And then he picked me up and refused to put me down. And he was

Trying desperately to hide my amusement, I ask, “Did

was ever kidnapped again. Oh, and then he threatened to cut off all my hair and turn me into a monk if I ever