Prevail

Chapter 17

"Quite the team you brought along with you," Dr. Darlene smiled. "Haze and Nico look like they are strong support, not to mention easy on the eyes."

Henrietta smiled uneasily, chewing on the inside of her lip. She wasn't sure how she felt about this lady, but she had promised her guys she would try.

"Today's only a preliminary session, Henrietta. I just want to be able to get to know you, and you get to know me. I want you to be comfortable talking to me."

Henrietta nodded.

"How are you doing today?" Dr. Darlene asked, taking a seat.

"I'm okay," Henrietta said, trying not to mumble. She took a shaky breath. "I only had class today."

Dr. Darlene gave another smile. She seemed pleasant so far.

"Some days you work too?"

Henrietta said, "I work with Dr. David. I use to work at the library, but it was too much to manage."

"How are your classes? And work?"

"Things pick up the closer to the end of the semester we get," she offered.

It felt good to talk about everyday things. It made her feel normal. The back and forth was redundant, but Darlene seemed interested and stayed engaged.

The session went by fast. At least she only had to do this once a week. She was eager to see Nico and Haze who had been waiting so patiently for her.

Nico hopped out of the car, pulling her into a hug when she came into sight.

"How'd it go, honey?"

"Not too bad," she admitted, leaning up to press her lips to his.

"Good," he said, giving her a squeeze before opening the car door for her. "We have a surprise for you. We have to hurry."

"Hurry?" she questioned, leaning over to give Haze a kiss. He cupped her cheeks, keeping her from moving away too soon. He finally released her, his lips finding her cheek before he let her settle back in her seat.

"So beautiful," Haze mumbled, taking her hand as he sped off.

Henrietta had never been to the park they pulled into. It was quiet. Haze pulled into a parking lot further in the park, higher up on the hill. There was a clearing and they were mostly over the trees.

Haze popped the trunk, revealing chairs, blankets, and a takeout bag of food. Nico had an extra hoodie, and he offered it to her.

"Do you want to just eat out of the trunk? I know it's not a traditional picnic, but it's going to get cold with the wind," Haze said.

"It's perfect. There's such a good view up here."

Nico and Haze sat in camping chairs, and she sat in the trunk. They had ordered her favorite. It amazed her that they always remembered the smallest detail.

They watched the sun slowly sink, turning the surrounding clouds into oranges and pinks. It was beautiful, watching the sky change and morph.

Change was inevitable. She had definitely changed, she could feel it.

Henrietta liked the idea that change could be beautiful, that the stormiest of days could bring in the prettiest sunsets.

"I think she's getting sleepy on us," Nico said, throwing the blanket onto her lap and startling her.

"Nico," Haze scolded.

"It's okay," Henrietta laughed a little. "It was such a pretty sunset. We lucked out."

"We figured we could use the fresh air," Haze said. He was always so serious. Henrietta loved his sharp features that seemed to have a warm glow in the last bit of light they had.

She looked over at Nico, who was also looking at her, and her heart fluttered.

She realized that she was completely in love with them. It was relieving to come to that realization now, because it told her that it wasn't born entirely out of her circumstance. They had saved her life, but it was so much more than that.

Nico stood and Haze followed.

"Ready to get out of here, baby?" Haze asked, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

She gave a little shiver, before nodding. "I have to be up early for work tomorrow."

She hopped off of the trunk, watching them slide their chairs in.

"I think I want to drive tomorrow," she said.

Nico smiled, cupping her cheeks. "I will happily chauffeur wherever your cute ass wants to go."

She giggled, covering his hands with hers. "I don't know how I will feel in the morning, so I might take you up on your offer."

"Just taking it one step at a time."