"Fair point."
"Damn right it's a fair point."
I shake my head.
"That man punched the fuck out of me when he found out."
She bursts out laughing. The sound echoing through the quiet hospital hallway. For a brief moment, despite everything…We're just brother and sister again.
And God. I've missed that more than I ever realized
The hospital hallway feels a little less heavy after talking to Aria.
Not lighter though Nothing about tonight could ever be light.
But for the first time since all of this started, I can breathe without feeling like my chest is being crushed.
Aria is sitting beside me, curled into the chair with a cup of coffee she hasn't touched.
Every now and then I catch myself looking at her, just checking making sure she's still there, making sure she hasn't disappeared.
Years of grief don't just vanish because someone comes back.
I don't think my brain has fully accepted that she's alive yet.
I don't think it will for a while.
