"I’m not crying."

"You literally sound like you’re about to cry."

I laugh weakly through the emotion building in my chest.

Then suddenly all three of them rush me at once in a chaotic group hug.

I let out a startled sound as arms wrap around me tightly.

"We missed you," June mutters dramatically into my shoulder.

"You’ve been through too much," Lila adds softly

"And now we live here unofficially," Tessa declares.

Despite everything...i actually laug a real laugh this time.

"You guys are insane."

"And you love us

Unfortunately...Also true.

They squeal excitedly when I admit I’d actually love having them around more often.

"See?" Tessa says triumphantly. "Daily dose of our friendship!"

"Daily chaos," Zane mutters beside me.

We all turn toward him. He already looks exhausted by the noise.

Honestly, fair.

Tessa gasps dramatically.

"Why do you sound disappointed?"

"I enjoy silence."

"You married Elaine willingly," June points out.

"That was your first mistake," Lila adds.

I snort.

Zane sighs deeply like we’re all personally stressing him out. Then he rubs tiredly at his temple.

"I’ll be in my office."

I turn sharply toward him immediately.

"What?"

His brows lift slightly.

"What?"

"You are absolutely not working right now."

"I’m fine."

"You got shot days ago!"

"Yeahhh days ago love, I’m totally fn now."

I stare at him incredulously.

"That somehow makes it worse."

Zane exhales patiently.

"Elaine, I can’t just disappear from work completely. Things are already piling up.

"So let them pile."

"That’s not how businesses work."

"You can barely move without wincing.

"I’m managing just fine."

"No, you’re being stubborn."

His jaw tightens slightly.

"I need to start handling things little by little."

Whn it looks like I want to argue again..He stalks toward me...there’s no other word for it. He walks Slow, deliberate steps across the room, like a predator who knows exactly what he wants. The air between us thickens. My heart kicks up, hammering against my ribs.

"Zane..." I start, a half-warning, half-plea, but it dies in my throat.

He reaches me in two more strides. One big hand slides around the back of my neck, fingers threading into my hair, while the other grips my waist, pulling me flussh against him and beefore I can say anything else, his mouth crashes down on mine.

The kiss is devastating.

His lips are firm and demanding, parting mine instantly. There’s nothing gentle about it...he kisses me like he’s been starving for days, like the hospital beds and the pain and the fear have all funneled into this one moment. His tongue sweeps in, hot and possessive, stroking against mine in a way that sends liquid heat rushing through my body.

I melt completely. My hands fist in his shirt without thinking, clinging to him as my knees go weak.

My toes literally curl against the hardwood floor. A soft, involuntary sound escapes me....half moan, half whimper....lost against his mouth.

The world narrows to just him: the familiar taste of coffee on his tongue, the faint scent of his soap, the solid warmth of his chest pressing into mine. I get completely lost in it, I forget there’s people..my friends watching us right now.

Time stops. The bullet wound, the threat, our friends sitting ten feet away....everything fades. There’s only the slick glide of his lips, the way he tilts my head to deepen the kiss even more, the low growl vibrating in his throat that I feel more than hear.

My pulse thunders in my ears. Heat blooms low in my belly and down down in my pussy. I’m drowning in him, happily.

Then....

A loud, awkward cough cuts through the haze twice.

I jolt like I’ve been shocked. Zane and I pull apart, breathing hard. My lips feel swollen and tingling. A string of saliva connects us for a split second before breaking. My face ignites with embarrassment so intense I’m sure I’m glowing bright red like a ripe tomato.

Tessa is staring into her coffee mug like.... wait, hold up she didn’t have that a second ago, how long have we been kissing for?.

She’s staring at us like it’s the most fascinating thing she ever seen, while Lena presses her lips together, clearly fighting a grin. The cough came from June, but all three of them look painfully uncomfortable and slightly amused.

"Oh my God," I whisper, wanting the floor to crack open and swallow me whole. I cover my mouth with one hand, mortified. My other hand is still gripping Zane’s shirt. I let go like it’s burning me. "I.....I’m so sorry. We didn’t... I mean..."

Zane, on the other hand, looks annoyingly smug. His mouth curves into that crooked, satisfied smirk that always makes my stomach flip. His eyes are still dark with heat, but there’s pure male triumph in them. He doesn’t look embarrassed at all. Of course he doesn’t.

He leans in one more time and presses a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead, his lips warm against my flushed skin. His hand gives my waist a gentle squeeze.

"Sorry about that," he says casually to my friends,his voice still a little rough. "Been cooped up too long. You know how it is." He glances down at me, that smirk deepening. "I’ll go grab more coffee."

He brushes past me toward the kitchen, moving a little stiffly because of his side, but still radiating that smug confidence. I stand there frozen, cheeks burning, heart still racing from the kiss.

I can feel the wetness between my thighs and the way my nipples have tightened against my bra. All from one kiss.

Lena finally lets out a soft laugh. "Girlllll, the tension in here is thick enough to cut with a knife. You two need a room... or at least a warning for guests."

I bury my face in my hands, groaning. "I can’t believe we just did that. In front of you guys. Jusr Kill me now."

June chuckles, shaking her head. "Hey, at least he’s feeling better. That’s what matters, right?"

I peek through my fingers. Zane is in the kitchen now, pouring coffee with his back to us, but I can tell from the set of his shoulders that he’s still smirking. My body is still buzzing, toes still remembering that curl, lips still sensitive.

Part of me wants to drag him back to the bedroom and finish what that kiss started but we can’t have sex now...doctors orders.

The other part wants to hide under the couch for the rest of the evening.

I’m not sure which one is winning.

Zane gives me one last look like he already knows I’m about to argue again. Then he turns and disappears toward his office before I can stop him.

Typical.

I stare after him for a second before muttering under my breath, "Hardheaded man."

"He definitely heard that," June says dryly behind me.

"I wanted him to."

Tessa hooks her arm through mine immediately.

"Come on. We’re making soup and gossiping....pr do you want us to talk about that kiss?."

"Ohh god please no... and I don’t think gossiping counts as emotional healing," I say while letting them drag me fully into the kitchen anyway.

"Incorrect," Lila says seriously. "That’s exactly what it is."

And honestl? The second I properly step into the kitchen, something inside me softens.

The room feels alive again...warm, messsy and Comfortable.

Pots simmer quietly on the stove while music plays softly from somebody’s phone speaker near the fruit bowl. Tessa stands over chopped vegetables arguing with June about seasoning while Lila pours me a cold drink and immediately starts interrogating me about how the burial went.

It’s chaos.

But it’s Familiar chaos.

And somehow it makes the heaviness in my chest loosen just a little.

I sit on one of the stools near the kitchen island, watching them move around the kitchen so naturally like they belong here, like they’ve always belonged here.

"You people are very bossy," I mutter while taking the drink Lila hands me.

"You need bossy right now," she replies instantly.

"That’s true," June adds while stirring something aggressively. "You and Zane together are one emotional disaster.

I gasp.

"Excuse you."

"Did I lie?"

Unfortunately...No.

Tessa suddenly points the wooden spoon she’s holding at me.

"And before you say anything, yes, we’re staying."

"For how long?"

"As long as necessary."

"You guys have other jobs."

"We called in sick," June says proudly.

I blink.

"All of you?"

Lila shrugs casually.

"You looked emotionally unstable."

"That’s not a medical condition."

"It should be."

I laugh before I can stop myself. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

A real one too.

God

I didn’t realize how badly I needed this, just normal conversatio and Norma people

Just my friends bickering over soup recipes while hovering over me like aggressive mother hens. The ache of missing Margaret still sits heavily in the room though, I can feel it in small moments.

The way Tessa pauses briefly while reaching for spices like she remembers Margaret’s exact arrangement.

The way June instinctively wipes the counter immediately after spilling something because Margaret used to complain about messes constantly.