Through Pain We Survive

Chapter 98

Cat and Mira Lynne walked into the house. Setting her purse and keys down, Mira Lynne sighed. "Wow, what a day."

"I know." Cat put her purse down as well, and looked back at her. "At least it's all over now."

"Yes. Thankfully." Mira Lynne walked to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle. She took a drink and walked back into the living room and sat down.

Cat looked at her hands, still fidgeting. "Uhm... Hey, Mira Lynne?"

"What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about my living situation..." She stammered.

"Oh, okay. Have you..." Mira Lynne paused, knowing the outcome she hoped for, but didn't want to voice it. "Have you decided?"

Cat took a deep breath. "I... I... I want to stay!" She said quickly, before gaining back her composure. "I mean... Can I stay here with you?"

Mira Lynne beamed. "Really? I was hoping you would stay!" She grabbed Cat into a tight hug. Realizing what she was doing, she gasped and let go. "Sorry, I—" She cleared her throat. "Sorry. Of course you can stay."

Cat grabbed Mira Lynne and hugged her after she let go, not wanting to let go just yet. "You've been such a light to me. I don't want to give up that light."

Mira Lynne blushed. "I— I'm glad you feel that way. I—" she leaned back and looked into Cats eyes. "I feel the same way. It just would be so... empty without you here."

"My apartment carries memories I don't want to keep. I can make new ones here." Cat paused for a second. "I'll make sure to call Nancy and get back on the schedule for Fratelli's."

"I know she'd love to have you back there. I— we all miss you."

"We'll have to schedule a girl's night or something. We'll go bowling." She laughed.

"Definitely! Bowling sounds fun! It's been ages since I've been."

"Mira Lynne... Thank you for sticking with me through all of this. Even before things escalated so much, you were there for me. And I'll never forget that."

"You're welcome. It's what friends are for, right?" She smiled at Cat.

"Yeah..." Cat sat down.

Mira Lynne sensed the mood change. "Hey, are you okay?" She sat beside her, taking her hands.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm totally fine. I just... Don't know what to do now that I don't have someone breathing down my neck," she said.

Mira Lynne didn't think that was the real reason, but dropped it. She let go of her hands. "Okay. Well, you're free now, so you can do what you want. You don't have to worry about checking in with anyone, or having them control you."

"That's true." She leaned against Mira Lynne slightly. "I can't thank you enough for sticking with me."

Mira Lynne's heart started beating a little faster with the close contact. "It's my pleasure."

Cat quietly held Mira Lynne's hands again.

"Uh, so..." Mira Lynne looked down at their hands and cleared her throat. "When did you want to go get the rest of your things from your apartment? When is your lease up?"

"I don't think there's much left in my apartment. The lease is up in about a month."

"Okay. So we at least have some time to clear it out at our own pace." Mira Lynne looked at Cat.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"So... what about now? I mean, what do you want to do now?"

"Why don't we watch a movie and stay cozy for the rest of the day?"