57. Chapter Fifty-Seven Homecoming
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Homecoming
Tess
Lux teleported me home, straight into my bedroom, to avoid surprising Addie and giving her a heart attack. The comforting scents of my clean laundry air freshener and the familiar belongings greeted me, a stark contrast to the guest room I had been staying in, grateful as I was for it. Though I had kept texting her updates, I hadn’t seen Addie in a long time. All I wanted was to hang out, watch The Witcher and drink wine with her. A return to some normalcy.
Lux stood silently by the door, his presence as commanding as ever. The room seemed to shrink around his broad shoulders and intense gaze. He agreed to give me a few days to get the ink from the shop and enchant it. Then he and Stone would meet me at the shop, and we would test the tattoo idea on him first. His eyes, glowing faintly with an otherworldly light, searched my face. For what, I didn’t know.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” His voice, a low rumble, resonated through the room.
“I’m fine,” I assured him, though the lingering tension in my muscles told a different story. “I’ll do a quick ward of the apartment right away.”
As agreed, Lux didn’t stay long. He lingered just enough to ensure I was telling the truth. Once satisfied, he disappeared, leaving the room significantly emptier. The moment he was gone, I rushed out the door to find Addie, my heart pounding with anticipation.
As I turned the corner, the cozy aura of the living room and the soft glow of the TV enveloped me with warmth. The aroma of buttered popcorn wafted through the air, blending with Addie’s vanilla candles. There she was, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, her eyes glued to Netflix, a half-empty mug of tea on the coffee table in front of her.
“Hey, Addie!” I called out, my voice breaking the serene quiet of the room.
She screamed and jumped in fright. On her feet in seconds, she turned, her eyes wide in surprise before a grin spread across her face.
“It’s only me. Sorry. Didn’t mean to shock you.”
“Tess! You’re back! Where have you been?” She sprang at me and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tight and bawling on my shoulder.
“I’m so sorry you were worried about me, Ad,” I whispered.
“So worried. I called a billion times. It’s been a week! Are you okay?”
“I’m alright.”
She pulled back. “Are you, though? Like for real?”
I pressed my lips together. “We got wine? ”
She nodded and swished across to the kitchen, returning with a bottle and two glasses. “Sit down.”
The soft fabric and the warmth of her presence instantly began to soothe my frayed nerves.
We sat beside each other as she poured each of us a large glass of merlot. Then she tapped her glass against mine, took a swig and met my eye. “Now spill.”
I let myself relax completely, absorbing the comfort and familiarity of our friendship.
I smiled at her, my chest warming with love for my best friend. She was the only person in the entire world who had ever loved me the way I wanted to be loved—with care and concern, but also trust, faith, and respect. She never tried to tell me what to do or judge me, but she didn’t shy away from telling me when she was worried about my choices. “I missed you so much.”
“Same, girl and all I could do was pace the floor and wait for you.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I forgive you. Now spill.”
We spent the evening drinking our wine, ordering Chinese food and talking about the surreal mess my life had become. As we settled in, the tension of the past weeks started to ebb away, replaced by the comforting normalcy of our home.
In the back of my mind, I knew that if I was eventually going to stay with Maverick and the guys, Addie would have to come, too. I was never going to leave her behind. No one believed in me like she did, and I couldn’t continue to believe in myself without her constant support.
But for a while, at least, I could pretend everything was alright, wrapped in the warmth of friendship and the simple joys of home.