This isn't weird.

Here, In The Present

Millie awoke late in the afternoon, mind and body still exhausted, but capable, at least, of rational thought. Tess was there on her bedroom floor, packing her neatly folded clothes into a suitcase; there were already two fully packed suitcases next to it. Millie climbed out of bed and silently hugged her for five solid minutes.

They talked for a little while. Millie tried to explain more clearly the events of the previous night, but Tess nearly went into a rage by the end of her story, so she changed the subject quickly to the details of their impending drive. As they were finally hauling their bags downstairs, Tess pointed to a familiar vehicle pulling into the parking lot, and exclaimed brightly, "That's Indigo's car!"

Millie craned her neck eagerly, sick with hope that she might spot Ben in the passenger seat, but Indigo had come very much alone. "He needs to stay off his foot," he explained half-heartedly when he saw her crestfallen face.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"No serious damage. He just had to get some stitches," he answered, trying his awkward best to sound reassuring. It was difficult to maintain his usual air of impassivity seeing her so close to tears. "I'm sorry," he added. "He's... sad that you're leaving."

"What an ass," Tess grumbled. "Fuck his foot. He should be here for you."

"Tess, please—" Millie started.

"No, Millie, listen to me. You need to get mad! You're dealing with a fucking crisis and that asshole calls you fucking white trash—"

Indigo's eyebrows shot up at this revelation.

"He didn't call me that, technically—"

"Right, sure—just your entire fucking family line."

"He was just upset—"

"He was just an asshole!"

"I don't care! I just want to see him!" Millie dropped her suitcase on the pavement and buried her face in her hands in abject despair. "I just wish there was more time," she sobbed. "I could fix it. I could fix it if I had more time..."

"Oh, hon," Tess sighed. She wrapped her arms around Millie's shoulders. "It's not your job to fix it. It's not worth your energy right now. You have more important things to think about."

"I can't even say goodbye. I can't even tell him I'll miss him," Millie whimpered.

"He knows," Indigo assured her.

"He just doesn't care," Tess muttered bitterly.

Indigo almost started to disagree, but thought better of it, and said nothing. They loaded the suitcases into Millie's car and returned upstairs. As Millie was taking inventory of the contents of her last bag, there was a quiet knock at the door. She looked up sharply, eyes wide with hope.

Tess winced. "I called Arthur," she said apologetically. "I knew he would want to see you off. I should have told you."

"Oh." Millie tried her best not to look disappointed as she opened the door.

The moment he saw her, Arthur immediately pulled her into a tight hug. "Millie, I'm so sorry this is happening."

"Hi, Arthur." She hugged him back, pleasantly surprised by how much comfort she actually felt in his embrace. He smelled nice—clean, warm and safe. "Thank you for coming. I'm sorry I didn't call... I broke my phone."

"Please don't apologize," he replied, pulling back to look at her. She saw his eyes glance for a split second at her bruises, but he didn't acknowledge them. She wondered how much Tess had told him. "All that matters is that I made it in time to see you. You are so brave to be doing this, Millie. I'm proud of you."

Her heart nearly broke with gratitude for his kind words. Millie's eyes welled up with tears and she threw her arms around him once more. "I don't deserve you," she whispered between sobs as she wept against his shoulder.

"Come on now, don't say that, Millie. Don't even think it," Arthur said. "But do you mind if I come in?" He squeezed his arms around her waist, just tight enough to lift her a couple inches off the ground, and stepped through the threshold. "Indigo, good to see you. Tess, thank you so much for calling."

"Thank you for coming!" Tess replied with slightly more enthusiasm than she had intended. "Indigo and I were just about to bring down the rest of the bags. Come on." She pushed a suitcase into Indigo's hands and hurriedly pulled him out of the apartment.

As the door closed behind them, Arthur looked down at Millie. "I know you haven't got much time, but do you think we could sit together for a few minutes?"

Millie nodded and he ushered her to the couch. Once they were seated, he took her hands in his. "Listen, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to... but you've mentioned a few times in our group sessions that you feel somewhat responsible for the outcome of your sister's life. I'm just concerned that... Please, you're not blaming yourself for this, are you?"

"Arthur, I..." She couldn't look him in the eye. "I just... If I had just been a better sister—"

"Hey, look at me." He touched her chin, nudging it up until their eyes finally met. "The past is done. No amount of self-flagellation is going to change it. Things you did or said as a child do not define who you are today. Here, in the present, you're choosing to do good. You're choosing to be there when she needs you. That's who you are, Millie. Do you understand?"

She nodded weakly.

"Good," he said with a smile, moving his face closer to hers. He ran his thumb across her cheek to brush away a tear. "Is it alright if I kiss you?"

She nodded again. He leaned in slowly, and her stomach knotted strangely in the moment of anticipation before his lips finally pressed against hers. He kissed her just as he had before, tentative and gentle, deepening only when he felt her relax. Millie slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, desperate to receive the warmth and compassion that this kind hearted, incredible man so generously offered to her, and quietly hated herself for how badly she wished he was Ben.