healing to do, but the call to Dad is a step in the right direction.
You’re not ready.
Panic tightens my muscles for a moment, but I force the thought away, and adamant to ignore my inner voice, I quickly pull a brush through my hair. Before I leave my room, I take a couple of breaths, then walk out and head toward the living room.
I fist my hands next to my sides, and the moment Jade catches sight of me, she worms herself free from Hunter’s hold and jumps up.
“I’d like to talk to everyone,” I say.
I go sit on the nearest couch as Jade yells, “Get all your asses to the living room! Family meeting.”
Kao’s the first to appear, and the second he sees me, he darts forward to take the seat next to me. He hesitates for a second, then asks, “Can I hug you?”
I bring a smile to my face and force myself to lean into him. The hug pushes my limits, and my body begins to tremble.
Kao’s one of your best friends, Mila. He’d never hurt you.
Glad no one else tries to hug me, I watch as all my friends take a seat. I’m about to start talking when Jase walks into the living room. He taps Kao on the shoulder. “Move over.” And then he squeezes in between us and places his arm around me, asking, “We’re having a meeting?”
I place my hand on his thigh. “Yeah, I want to get this over with so I can move on with my life.”
And so you can move on.
I pull my hand back from Jase’s leg and suck in a deep breath until my healing ribs ache. Letting the air out, I say, “I know the last week has been hard on everyone. Thank you for all the support.” I glance at each of my friends. “I’m fine. Everything’s healing, and I’ll soon be back to kicking everyone’s butts.” I let out a chuckle. “Figuratively. I’ll leave the actual kicking and punching to Jade.”
My comment draws chuckles from everyone.
“My dad’s coming over with the police so I can give my statement. After that, I don’t want to talk about what happened ever again. I just want everything to go back to the way it was, so please don’t be weird around me. Just go on with your lives as if it never happened.”
There’s a wave of expressions on everyone’s faces, and I can see Fallon’s struggling to keep quiet. Giving her an encouraging smile, I say, “Get it off your chest, Fallon.”
She shakes her head, her features tightening with heartache. “I can’t forget what I saw, Mila.”
Her admission has every muscle in my body tightening, and apprehension ripples through me. “You saw?”
When she nods, shame pours over me like boiling hot water. My voice is hoarse when I ask, “Did you all see?”
Kao gets up, and coming to crouch in front of me, he tilts his head. “Look at me, Mila.” My eyes dart to his for a second before they drop to my hands on my lap. He places his hand over both of mine, and my whole body jerks, which has him pulling back. “Look at me, please.”
I shake my head but lift my eyes anyway.
There’s a caring expression warming Kao’s blue eyes. “I love you, Mila. You’re one of the most important people in my life. Don’t feel embarrassed around us. We only saw when they loaded you into the ambulance. We hate what happened to you, and… God, I wish I could turn back time and stop it, but none of it will ever change the way I feel about you or how I see you. You’re still badass. You’re still my go-to person whenever I need someone to slap me upside the head. You’re still our Mila.”
My chin begins to tremble, and there’s one hell of a big lump in my throat, but refusing to cry, I swallow the emotion down and whisper, “Thanks, Kao. That means a lot to me.”
Jase pulls me closer to him and presses a kiss to the side of my head. “Yeah, we all love you, and nothing will change that.”
There’s a sad twinge in my chest as I nod.
I need to put the attack behind me so I can deal with my feelings for Jase. They’re stronger than ever after everything he’s done for me, and I’ll have to put distance between us, so I can get over him once and for all.
We’re just friends, and that’s