Chasing Redemption (Book 2 of Chasing Series)

Twenty-Four | Homebound

Maia and Layla are waiting for me inside my apartment when I arrive.

I drop my bags to the side of the door, letting Dean pass before I shut it with my foot. He embraces her in a tight hug, kissing her head. 

I look away at Layla. She smiles softly at me and tears instantly well in the corners of my eyes.  

"Don't cut us out again, please," she whispers to me, wrapping her arms around her neck. 

"I won't. I promise," I say. "I'm done running." 

She squeezes my shoulders, pulling away from me as I turn to stare at Maia. She doesn't look as sympathetic, but I wasn't expecting anything less from her.

"Don't fucking tell us in a text that you're being taken to a cabin in the woods next time," she snaps. "That's not even remotely funny."

"Maia," my brother whispers. "Now isn't the time to get angry. She's home." 

I turn to my brother with a frown. He wasn't saying all that an hour ago when he was cussing out the Patridge brothers. I also had to listen to him rant the entire way home about how stupid it was for me to get involved with them again, even when I said I hadn't tried to. 

"Do you need help unpacking?" Layla offers. 

I nod gratefully, returning back into the hallway to get my bags before heading to my room.

Layla shuts the door behind us, sighing. "I'm so glad you're back. Those two are seriously insufferable together."

"Why?" I laugh, opening my drawers and unzipping my bag. 

"They will just randomly start whispering things to each other at dinner," she pretends to gag. "I'm like, hello, I'm still here. Can't we just have a normal civilised meal for once?"

"I did not pick Maia for that type of person. I thought she'd always be really against love, to be honest." 

Layla nods, sitting on the ground. We begin to unfold my clothes in silence. I wait for her to ask the question that clearly been on her mind.

"So he's really alive, huh?"

"Yep."

"That's...I don't even know what to say to that."

"I wasn't sure either."

"Yeah."

We lapse into silence again as she passes me a new item of clothing each time, perfectly folded and straightened out. 

"Are you okay?" she whispers like she's afraid she can't talk to me at a higher decibel. 

"No," I clear my throat. "No, I'm not." 

"I wouldn't be either if someone I loved just came back from the dead. Sorry, that was probably too harsh."

I laugh under my breath, watching Layla as she frowns, annoyed at herself for saying something. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, concentrating on the washing. 

"Did you talk to him?"

"Not a whole lot." 

"Fair enough," she nods. 

She moves closer to me, resting a hand on my shoulder. "You can tell me. What it was really like. You don't need to hold it in."

I bite my bottom lip, shaking my head. I feel my shoulders heave forward as she wraps her arms from behind me, holding me up from the floor.

"How could he do this to me?" I sob. "How could he leave? Why did he leave me?"

"I know," she soothes. "It's not fair." 

"And he comes back now as though nothing has happened. Like he didn't ruin everything for me."

She spins me around so that I'm facing her. She cups my face, wiping my eyes as I try to calm myself down. 

"Don't let him ruin all the progress you've made. You have gotten through so much, Rhea. You will get over this."

"It feels like, no matter how much I go through, I can never remember the way I felt. I just remember feeling as though I'll be okay. But now the pain is back and I can't believe I ever got through any of it."

She moves me up onto my bed once I've stopped the tears. She strokes my hair gently, tucking it behind my ears. 

"He told me something else too. Something that puts me in a terrible position." 

With his confession, how could I face Davina?

My life really was going full circle.

"You need to rest, Rhea. Don't think too hard about everything right now."

"But—"

"Stop. Do you realise how hard you work? How hard you have it? Not one day of your life since the age of 15 has been easy for you. Not one. You deserve to just rest. Please."

She pulls my duvet cover back, tucking my legs underneath the blanket. "I'm gonna order us all some pizzas and you're going to stay here and watch a movie. I'll be having a sleepover with you tonight as well."

"Lay..."

"Rhea," she frowns at me. "I'm not taking no for an answer. You've already had such a long day." 

As I lay back against my pillows, I can already feel the exhaustion wearing on me. She must notice it too because she begins to pull my fluffy blanket up and under my chin. I feel sadness pooling in my stomach at the sudden memory of being tucked in as a chin. How mum used to sing me to sleep. How my dad would leave me a warm glass of milk to drink. 

"Do you wanna eat something or just sleep?"

"I am pretty hungry," I yawn. "Maybe just wake me up if I fall asleep." 

"Want me to put a movie on for you?" she gets up from the bed walking over to my dresser as she searches for the remote. 

My phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. It's Xavier. 

"Definitely don't answer that." 

I jump, dropping my phone from my hand. Maia appears in the doorway out of nowhere, leaning one arm against the frame. She's crossed her arms over her chest defensively, something she always does when she's trying not to be mad. 

"I wasn't," I say. I place my phone upside down on the side table as she enters, sitting on my bed.

Layla finally finds the remote, fiddling around on Netflix as she picks a movie for me. 

Maia places a hand on the duvet where my knee rests beneath it. "I'm sorry," she sighs, "for how I greeted you when you came in. I should have been more understanding and not started on you straight away."

"It's alright." 

She shakes her head. "No, it's not. I'm trying to be better at dealing with my...emotions. I want to be better." 

I place my hand on top of hers, squeezing. "Wanna join us for a movie night?" 

She smiles softly. "I would, but your brother will definitely sulk if he isn't invited." 

"I definitely will," Dean appears in the doorway next, smiling solemnly. 

"You're invited too. Only if we can all squeeze onto this bed, though."

I wish I hadn't said that. Dean launches himself at the bed, causing Maia and me to scream. She falls into a fit of laughter as he begins to kiss her everywhere on the face. Then he turns to me, blowing a raspberry on my cheek. 

"Gross, Dean," I laugh. "You'll get kicked out if you don't behave."

"Found one!" Layla beams. 

"What is it?" 

"Mean Girls." 

"Oh, definitely," Dean agrees, finding a spot in between Maia and me. Laya sits beside me and we all squish together, slightly uncomfortable but grateful to all be here again.