As soon as I got home, I pulled on my running gear again. It had become my ritual these past few days — part escape, part meditation, part therapy. The burn in my calves and the wind in my lungs were the only things I could control. The only pain I chose.
Aarti gave me a quiet nod as I tied my laces. "Another lap around the block?"
I shrugged, tugging my beanie down. "Helps keep the noise out."
"You know I'll be here when you get back," she said softly.
Her words settled in my chest like a warm hand. Aarti and Nate had been taking turns looking out for me — like a tag team of quiet guardians. I didn't know how to thank them for holding the pieces of me together when I couldn't even find all the fragments.
"I'll grab Chinese on the way home, so don't cook."
Aarti nodded as she sank on
