Cherished

15

"I think we've waited long enough," Bri said, leaning back in her chair. It was surprisingly a warm day, and the three of them were eating lunch together at the outdoor table on the large patio.

Eva looked up from her plate curiously. "What?"

Kenzie laughed. "You know what she's talking about. When I went looking for you last week, you were asleep in Graham's wing of the house. The three of them skip dessert with us so they can eat with you."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Of course it isn't," Bri consoled. "We're just nosey and want to know what is going on."

"Nothing is going on," she insisted. "They're my friends, just like you two are."

Kenzie swirled her glass of lemonade with her straw.

"Which one is it?" Bri asked.

Eva gave her yet another confused look. She needed to start finishing her thoughts sooner.

"Which one of them do you like?" she clarified with a wide smile.

Eva picked up her own lemonade, taking a drink before quietly saying, "all three."

Bri released a giddy laugh, bouncing in her seat excitedly. "I knew it. The three of them are together, too. Aren't they?"

"It's their business, not ours," Kenzie said, trying to calm her friend a bit.

"Is that bad?" Eva asked.

Kenzie reached over, stacking their plates. "No, Eva, it's not bad. Bri has been convinced they've been in a relationship since she got here. I think it's kind of obvious. They live in the same wing. Pierce and Graham hardly talk to anybody but each other, and Miles and Pierce are usually glued at the hip."

Pierce and Graham have never had any problems talking to her. The thought almost made her feel giddy.

Bri was still beaming. "Honestly, I don't care what or who they do. Graham saved our lives. He brought all of us together, treating us like family. I didn't know what family or support was until I lived here."

Kenzie agreed, and Eva was beginning to come to that realization, too.

"Please don't mention this to anyone else," Eva pleaded.

"Of course we won't," Kenzie said. "Are you helping us cook tonight's dinner in a bit?"

Eva nodded. She was going to try at least. Her friends have been very busy these past few days, and she wanted to spend time with them while she could.

---

Dinner was pretty easy. Bri had put a lot of chicken in a marinade early in the morning, so it just had to be grilled up. Kenzie was frying some potatoes with green beans and they had fresh bread rolls.

They had put Eva on dessert duty again. They had given her a huge recipe book full of all things sweet, letting her pick what she wanted to make.

It was a difficult decision, but she eventually settled on a peanut butter pie with a graham cracker crust.

She liked the task of following directions, laid out exactly as she needed them. It felt like there was no room for error that way (even if there actually was).

Bri dipped her finger into the peanut butter filling that Eva was mixing together.

"It tastes amazing," Bri said, still smiling brightly. She had been in a really good mood today.

Logan entered the kitchen. Eva had only seen him from a distance before, mostly when she snuck into his car. She hated that every part of her went on high alert at a strange man's presence. She tried to focus on her bowl.

"Hey, baby," he said to Kenzie, pulling her in for a hug.

She tried hard not to stare. Her heart was pounding, and she was ready to leave the kitchen, but she wasn't going to let herself. She was going to finish the pie.

She wanted to be normal. She was so tired of being afraid. She wanted to eat dinner at the table with her friends.

It did get easier as she concentrated on smoothing out the filling into the crust. She even thought she could stick around, until Van came in. She had seen him from a distance before, too.

He went to the cabinets for plates to set the table. The kitchen became loud as Van and Logan and Kenzie chatted.

Eva wanted so desperately to join in, but she couldn't breathe. Something was pressing on her chest.

She put the pie into the refrigerator, slipping out of the kitchen and up to the safety of her room.

It felt like she was coming up to breathe after being stuck underwater, finally getting air into her lungs.

She was crying again. For someone who didn't like crying, she sure had been doing it a lot lately. She needed to get a better grip.

She knew eventually that someone would come looking for her, or Graham and Pierce and Miles would come up with dessert. She didn't feel up to that tonight.

She took a deep breath, trying to will herself to calm down.

She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders before venturing back down the stairs. There was still quite a bit of noise coming from the dining and kitchen area, so Eva went up to Graham's wing of the house. It was much more quiet up here.

She laid down on his couch, enjoying the solitude that eased everything inside of her that was self loathing.

She was trying to give herself grace. She had been in hell for nearly ten years. It was going to take much longer to heal than just a few months.

That didn't stop her from feeling so miserable.