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RUMI

It doesn’t take long for sleep to take over once again, but this time I fall asleep holding Jack’s hand, feeling him at my bedside, eager to wake up to find him—and Evee who he promised to bring by to see me—again.

The next time I wake up, I feel more awake and less like I’m on borrowed time before my eyes close against my will.

My room is filled with relieved smiles and happy tears of Ava, Emerson, and Jack who’s holding Evee, her arms wrapped around a stuffed animal I’ve never seen before—a bunny in firefighter gear.

Emerson is the first to notice I’m awake. “There she is.”

Ava turns around, coming over to sit on my bed. “You’re awake.”

I look at Jack, and he immediately brings Evee to me.

“Hey, firefighter,” I say, as he sets Evee down gently on my lap, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“And hi, lovebug,” I coo, feeling tears prick my eyes seeing there’s not even a scratch on her, that she’s perfectly okay.

She looks up at me, showing off her new toy and babbling “mama”.

I hug her close to me until she starts to squirm. “How long have I been out?”

“Four days,” Ava answers, a tear falling down her cheek before she quickly wipes it away. “I’m so sorry, Rue.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.” Holding Evee with one arm, I open my other to her as best I can.

“I should’ve been there,” my best friend whispers as she settles in my embrace.

I let out an exhale. “What were you thinking, Av?” I ask into her hair, the copper strands tickling my nose.

She shakes her head. “I don’t know.” I feel Emerson and Jack watching us carefully but quietly, giving us both this moment “Going to see Jett was stupid and immature, and I only did it because I thought I needed something familiar,” she says, but it all comes out muffled against where her head presses against my shoulder.

“I should’ve never talked to you that way though.

I think I just knew you’d tell me the things I needed to hear but didn’t want to,” she admits.

I take in her words, knowing exactly how she feels and how hard it must be for her to admit it.

And because of that, it’s impossible to not forgive her.

“You really like Anderson, huh?” I ask her with a smile, and she lets out a laugh that ends with a sniffle as she lets her tears fall. “It’s okay, Av. I’m okay.”

“How the fuck are you okay?” Emerson asks, sitting on the other side of my bed, and I love that I can leave it to her to treat me as normal as possible even in this situation.

“He told me the gist,” Emerson says, jutting a thumb behind her toward where her brother stands next to my bed, “but seriously? What the fuck happened?"

“My ex-boyfriend found me,” I answer. Ava sits up, settling on the side of my bed opposite from Emerson.

“Is that who you thought you saw when you were leaving Hey Honey’s?” Emerson asks, and I feel both Ava and Jack shoot daggers my way—their protectiveness thick in the air.

I nod sheepishly. “I didn’t think it was possible, so I chalked it up to just seeing things. Turns out, he figured out where to find me through the local child support branch that sent the court-ordered paternity test, and he just happened to be stopping at Lenny’s when he spotted me at the shop.”

“What a shitty coincidence,” Emerson says, blowing out a breath. “So then what? He followed you home?”

I nod my head. “I let him in by mistake, thinking it was Ava.” I reach for my best friend’s hand, squeezing it once to remind her that none of this was her fault. “Then, he attacked me from behind, knocked me out, and threatened me when I came to.”

The fear threatens to come back, but I can feel the support of the people I love the most in the room, reminding me of where I am and that I’m safe.

“But how did the fire start?” Ava asks. “Jack told us the official report says a dishtowel got caught in a lit burner, but that can’t be the whole story.”

“I tried to escape, grab Evee and run after throwing a pot of boiling water at him, but it just pissed him off. He threw me to the ground and kept throwing punches until I passed out. Luckily, I woke up when I smelled the smoke and heard Evee wailing. I think Trevor thought I was dead and was going to set the house on fire to cover his tracks.”

I can still taste the smoke mixed with the anger I felt at the realization that not only was he leaving me here to die, but Evee too.

The thought allowed me to muster up enough strength to stand up despite all the pain radiating through my body, my eyes barely opening enough to see a foot in front of me.

“With the fire growing, Trevor was distracted, so I grabbed the pot that had ended up next to me on the ground, and I aimed for his temple.”

The same way I did the night I left.

“Badass,” Emerson says, giving me a look of approval.

I can’t help the small smile that forms on my lips.

“Somehow, I got up before he could realize what happened and grabbed the pan again. Then I don’t know how many times I hit him.

” I rest my chin on Evee’s head. “When I saw he was finally out, I grabbed Evee and managed to get us outside. I just couldn’t get far, not with my injuries. ”

I look down at my exposed arms, seeing the various shading of bruises all along the skin. I can’t even begin to imagine how the rest of my body looks, not to mention my face.

“I got us as far into the backyard as I could, and then I heard the sirens and figured the firefighters would take care of the rest,” I look over to Jack who watches me carefully.

“Damn,” Ava says, her voice cracking. “I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” Emerson echoes, no trace of tears in her eyes, but she puts her hand on my knees and squeezes.

“Me three,” I hear from next to me, and the three of us look at Jack.

Jack clears his throat, and Ava and Emerson exchange a knowing glance with one another, quickly offering to go get some food and take Evee for a walk before making their swift exit.

Jack sits at the edge of my bed, reaching to brush a hair from out of my face.

“I don’t even want to know how I look right now,” I say with a dry laugh.

“You look beautiful.”

I cock my head, and it makes him chuckle.

“You do, while also looking like you’ve been through hell.” His smile is soft and sad, but I’m just happy to see one.

It must have been so scary for Jack, getting the call for the fire at my house, especially with what happened to Bennett and his PTSD and anxiety when it comes to those types of calls.

“It must have been pretty hard for you too,” I tell him.

Jack shakes his head, grabbing my hands in his. “When I heard the address, I didn’t hesitate.” His eyes bore into me. “I knew you were in that fire, and I knew I had to get you out. That’s all that mattered.”

My mouth parts. “You were the one to find us.”

“And I’d do it again without question,” he answers. He explains how he found Trevor first and was in the process of getting him out when he found Evee and me outside.

A moment passes before I ask, “What happened to Trevor?”

Jack lets out a sigh. “He got away too easily in my opinion—and lucky my crew handed him over to the cops rather than let me deal with him.” His voice is hard, and I can see his shoulders tense.

“He’s facing attempted murder, arson, and trying to destroy evidence which hopefully will land him in prison for a very long time. ”

“That sounds pretty bad,” I admit.

Jack scoffs. “For what he did to you? To Evee? He deserves to rot in the ground. I know it’s my job to help people, but I just can’t help but think if I knew it was him—” He pauses, shaking his head.

“I’m just happy we’re okay,” I tell him, squeezing his hand. Jack is a better man than Trevor will ever be, and Jack being the one to save Trevor’s sorry excuse for a life shows that.

Looking at the man in front of me, the man who saved me in more ways than one, I feel the words on the tip of my tongue, the ones I don’t want to go any longer without saying, not wanting Jack to go any longer without knowing.

I think falling in love with Jack was inevitable, since the moment our paths crossed.

Somehow, the universe brought us together when we needed each other most, and I don’t want to know what it’s like living a life not loving Jack as hard and as loud as I possibly can.

I’m about to tell him just that, but he beats me to it. “I love you, Rumi.”

Tears blur my eyes, and I think a part of me knew this moment was coming from the first time I saw those jade green eyes. “I love you, Jack.”