Full Strength

Fifty Two-Lillian❤️‍🩹

        In the blink of an eye, I was hundreds of miles away from home.

        San Francisco sits on the other shore of a continent, where my parents were worried sick after an hour-long phone call placed from the terminal. My apartment in Denver must've be empty by now. And Logan, sweet, loving Logan was out of reach. Pulled from my arms, desperate to protect us. 

        Right now I was standing on the steps of a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, staring up at an address that matched the one in my hand. It'd been a few years since I'd seen Andy, but we kept in touch through text. She'd been one of my roommates in college, a law student with a passion for art. She'd been begging me to visit for years, and as soon as she'd heard that I was moving to New York for the remainder of the spring, she'd insisted on my moving in with her, indefinitely.

        Hesitantly, I rang the doorbell. I had to look a mess. A five hour flight, two shots of vodka, and a three-minute cry in the airport bathroom hadn't exactly put me through a Cinderella transformation. I was bedraggled, exhausted, and heartbroken. 

        Andy opened the door, took one look at me, and instantly hugged me. "Oh, sweetie," she murmured, wrapping me in comfort. I was crying by this point, my luggage forgotten on the step behind me.

        "Sorry," I choked out. "I promise, I'm really happy to see you. The crying is just a disguise."

        "I bet. Come in and we'll fix you up," she said, grabbing my suitcases. I followed her inside, barely registering the apartment. Everything was white and pristine, with her art displayed on the walls and other pieces on shelves. 

        "You can shower, get changed, take a nap, anything. I'm going to order us some food," Andy said, showing me to a pretty purple bedroom with a bathroom inside. "Anything you want in particular?"

        I shook my head. "Thank you. And I'm sorry I'm visiting under such strange circumstances."

        Andy shushed me, saying, "Nope. I will take any reason to see you, okay? Let me know if you need anything."

        I thanked her again, watching as she closed the door behind her. Andy was tall, with an olive skin tone and hair so vibrantly pink that it almost seemed to glow in the dark. In college, she'd had it dyed red, and briefly I wondered if she'd gone through any other colors. It only made me feel worse, knowing that I'd been partially out of her life for so long.

        Peeling off my clothes and stepping into the shower, I let the hot water scald my skin. Steam engulfed me, causing sweat to form on my forehead. Washing away the grime of traveling was refreshing, even if it meant burning away layers of skin. Staring at the wall, I was already feeling the guilt settling over me.

         I'd left Logan right when he'd needed me the most. There were reporters outside his house, dozens of meetings to be had with the Dragons, and worst of all, Jade was still running loose. Meanwhile I was safe in Brooklyn Heights, with the time to take a boiling hot shower. No reporters had found me. Jack had already assured me that my job was safe, plus he'd ordered several bags of groceries and sent them to Andy's house, his treat. It was a sweet gesture, and knowing Jack, he'd probably included some ice cream to make me feel better. 

        There was nothing to do except relax. And I hated it.

        Stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around me, I found that Andy had set a bathrobe, my pajamas, new slippers,  a couple bars of chocolate, a bottle of water, and a note that said if I wanted to come out I could, but she would understand if I wanted to turn in for the night. It was sweet, enough so to make my heart ache slightly.