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“Hey,” a rough, familiar voice said from the seat beside her. “It's—”
“I know,” she interrupted, the corner of her lips tugging upward involuntarily. She hoped her mom wasn’t watching.
“We just spoke with Sylvia,” her dad said. “It seems they’ve agreed to have Saff stay a little longer to help with Sarah’s pregnancy.”
The last of the anxiety that had consumed her all day instantly diminished, replaced with a new feeling—a pleasant one.
“Sylvia said they don’t have any good housing options for her to stay in at the moment, so I offered for her to stay with us.”
Now Maddie couldn’t help the full grin that broke across her face. She knew for a fact that her mom would be watching, probably with a smile of her own, but she didn’t care. The thought of Saff leaving and going back out into danger so soon had set her on edge. Now, at least she’d be able to keep tabs on how she was doing for the time being.
“Of course,” her mother replied from beside her. “You can stay with us as long as you’d like.”
The awkward sound of Saff clearing her throat beside her made her smile even more.
“Thank you,” she muttered.
A beat of silence passed before her mother added, “Well, I think they’re starting service soon. I’ll go grab us all some plates.”
Saff cleared her throat again. “Actually, I’m not that hungry. Sylvia said I could go pick up my pack from the lockup house, so I think I’m gonna go get that and bring it to the house.”
“Oh, okay, honey,” her mom replied. “Did someone show you where the house is?”
Her father’s voice cut in then. “I did. We stopped by on the way here.”
“Good,” her mom answered, a smile in her words. “Do you want us to bring anything back for you?”
There was a slight pause before Saff answered. “No. That’s okay. Thank you, though.”
Maddie frowned, wondering if her nausea had returned. “I’m not really hungry either,” she said, before turning to her left, where Saff was. “You want some company?”
This time, there was no pause at all. “Yeah, sure.”
Maddie smiled and pushed back from the table, hearing the chair beside her follow suit a moment later.
“We’ll see you girls back at the house later than,” her mother said as Maddie unfolded her cane, dropping the tip to the ground.
“Yeah, okay,” Maddie answered.
“Want to hold my arm?” Saff’s quiet, low voice asked from beside her.
“Yeah,” she answered with a small smile. “Thanks.”
She lifted her hand, waiting as Saff’s arm looped around it, leading them away.
Chilly air brushed across her skin as they crossed the threshold back outside. The sea of murmured voices slowly fell away, replaced with the peaceful quiet of early night.
As they walked, Maddie could feel a difference in Saff’s usual fast and purposeful pace. It was slower now. Almost casual.
“You’re walking different,” Maddie said, adjusting her hand on Saff’s arm.
Saff snorted in response. “No, I’m not.”
“Yeah,” Maddie replied with a smirk. “You are. Slower.”
Saff let out a small chuckle, and Maddie’s smile widened. “Want me to go faster?”
This time, it was Maddie who chuckled. “No. I like it. It’s different, but—nice.”