Shane clapped me on the shoulder, his voice deliberately lighter, steering us toward something he could actually help with.
"Well. In the meantime, you need an apartment. Maya and I looked at a ton of places before we found our building." He paused."Actually, there's a two-bedroom that just opened up. Floor below us."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's a good unit. Maya and I can take you to see it this weekend if you want. Bring Ava."
"That would be great. Thanks, Shane."
"And Torres?" Shane's grin crept back. "Don't screw this up. Four years is a long time to wait."
"I told you, it's not?—"
"Yeah, yeah. Roommates. Sure." He was already walking away, waving over his shoulder. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Garrett lingered for a moment. He studied me with that quiet intensity he had. The one that saw more than most people were comfortable with.
"He's right, you know."
"About the apartment?"
"About not screwing it up." He uncrossed his arms. "She's your person, Torres. That's obvious to everyone."
He walked away before I could respond.
After the shift, I came home to find Ava on my couch.
When I opened the door, she looked up, and something in her expression shifted. Relief, maybe. Or just acknowledgment that I was back.
Home.
When did my apartment start feeling like home only when she was in it?
"Hey." I dropped my bag by the door.
"Hey yourself." She closed the book, keeping her finger on the page. "Rough shift?"
"Long. But everyone made it out." I dropped into the armchair across from her. "How was your day?"
"Quiet. I went back to my apartment to grab some more clothes." She shook her head slightly. "The super changed the locks, but I couldn't stay long. It still feels wrong."
"That makes sense. Give it time."
"Yeah." She scratched behind Watson's ears, and his threatening expression softened into something almost blissful. "Any updates from your end?"
"Actually, yeah." I leaned forward. "Shane says there's an apartment available in his building. Two-bedroom, floor below him and Maya. He offered to take us to see it this weekend."
Ava's eyebrows rose. "Really? That's... that's perfect, actually. Being close to people you trust."
"That's what I was thinking. Shane and Maya are good people. A"And Zoe, Shane's stepdaughter, she's fifteen going on forty. You'll like her."
"I look forward to meeting them, then."
"Actually, I think you already have. You treated Maya after the public school fires."
Ava's brow furrowed, the way it did when she was trying to pull something from the chaos of her memory. "I've treated a lot of people since then. I can't pin a face to the name."
"It’s fine. You'll meet her again soon enough." I smiled. "I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you again under better circumstances this time."
