I stand and lift the box of linens to carry to the living room, nearly tripping over a pile of shoes in the hallway. “Sunny! Why aren’t your shoes in a box already?” I call out to her before continuing into the living room. I thought her room was completely packed and ready to load into the Rover, but apparently that’s not the case.
“Hey,” I say to Skye as I walk into the living room and set the box down with the others. Dexter and Leo have been carrying them from the apartment to their vehicles, trying to fit the rest into my car, Dexter’s Range Rover, and Leo’s truck to make this our last trip.
I’m about to ask what she meant by ‘we’ when the last person I expected to see walks through the door, two suitcases in tow.
“Tori?!” I question, not sure why she’s here. She sets down her suitcases off to the side and steps closer to wrap me in a hug. “Hey, babe,” she says, squeezing me tightly and holding on for longer than a greeting hug warrants.
I pull back, keeping my hands on her arms as I study her. “What are you doing here?” I ask, then add, “I mean, holy crap am I happy to see you. I just wasn’t expecting it. And what’s with all the baggage?”
Tori smiles softly and meets my gaze, and that’s when I see it — the dark circles under her eyes, the sheer exhaustion on her face. “Are you okay?” I whisper, suddenly overwhelmed with concern for my best friend.
“Yeah,” she says. “Or, at least, I will be.” She shrugs and turns to look at Skye.
“You didn’t tell her?” Tori asks. Skye shakes her head as I ask, “Tell me what?”
I look back to Tori, who now has a nervous expression on her face when Skye says, “Say hello to my new roomie!”
