BETWEEN US

Chapter Two: Welcome Home?

JFK Airport, New York

As soon as I stepped off the plane, my phone buzzed.

Mom: “I’m at the airport waiting for you.”

I stopped in my tracks, my grip tightening around my suitcase.

She’s here?

I didn’t tell her I was coming. I didn’t think she’d care. She barely checked in on me, just a few dry texts here and there. “Hope you’re good.” “Take care of yourself.” That was all.

And my dad? He was nothing more than a stranger on my TV screen. The last time I saw him, he was standing beside his new wife and their two perfect sons, flashing that fake businessman smile as the headline read: “CEO Expands Global Empire.”

A family man. That’s what they called him.

I scoffed.

My mom had her own new family too—she married a man who already had two sons, and then had a daughter for him. They were all one big happy family.

And me? I didn’t fit anywhere.

I pulled my hoodie lower over my face, quickening my steps toward the exit.

And then, I saw her.

Bella.

Standing near the entrance, waving like a madwoman, dressed in ripped jeans and a cropped hoodie that said “Men Ain’t s**t” in bold red letters.

The second she spotted me, she screamed.

“VEEEE! MY BABY GIRL IS BACK!!”

Heads turned.

I hurried toward her, throwing a quick glance to my right. That’s when I saw my mom—searching the crowd, standing on her toes, looking around.

She didn’t see me.

Good.

I reached Bella just as she grabbed me into a dramatic hug, swaying us side to side.

“Ugh, finally! You left me in this miserable city alone for YEARS! Do you know how much trauma I’ve been through?”

“Oh please,” I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been living your best life.”

We pulled apart, then broke into our old handshake—finger snap, fist bump, wrist twist, then a final hair flip.

“Still got it,” she grinned.

“Always,” I smirked.

Once we got to her car, I quickly texted my mom.

Me: “I already left the airport with my friend.”

I watched as the message turned read, but no reply came.

I sighed, tossing my phone aside as Bella started the car.

“So… how does it feel to be back in the city that abandoned you?” she teased, eyes glinting with mischief.

I smirked, looking out the window as the skyline came into view.

“I guess we’re about to find out.”

“Damn, I still can’t believe you’re back!” Bella grinned as she swerved the car onto the highway, music blasting from the speakers.

“I still can’t believe it either,” I sighed, leaning back in my seat. The city lights blurred past, a mix of nostalgia and uncertainty settling in my chest.

New York. Home.

Or at least, it used to be.

“So,” Bella smirked, side-eyeing me. “Spill. What really made you come back? Don’t tell me you finally fell in love and moved here for a man.”

I let out a dry laugh. “Please. You know I don’t do love.”

“Exactly!” she pointed at me. “Which is why it still shocks me that you’re here! I thought London was your escape plan.”

It was. But in the end, it didn’t matter how far I ran—home always had a way of pulling me back.

“They transferred me,” I admitted, staring out the window. “The company opened a branch here, and my boss put me on the list of people to move.”

Bella let out a low whistle. “Damn. So you didn’t even get to choose?”

“Nope. Not really.”

“Wow. So do you think it’s fate?”

“Fate?” I scoffed. “If fate was real, my parents wouldn’t have torn our family apart, and I wouldn’t be back in the same city as them, pretending like I don’t exist.”

Bella pursed her lips. She knew better than to push.

“Well,” she changed the subject, cranking up the volume, “whatever the case, we’re going to make the most of it. Parties, late-night drives, brunch dates… oh! And have you seen the new rooftop lounge downtown? We have to go.”

“Bella, I literally just got here.”

“And? That’s the best time to start having fun!”

I shook my head, laughing. Bella hadn’t changed one bit.

She pulled into a parking lot of a modern high-rise building and turned to me with a smug smile. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

We took the elevator up to the 12th floor, and when the doors slid open, Bella led me into a sleek, minimalist apartment with a killer view of the skyline.

“Damn,” I muttered, setting my suitcase down. “Someone’s been living the high life.”

“Perks of working my ass off,” Bella winked. “Now, let me show you your room.”

She led me to a cozy guest bedroom with a large window and a neatly made bed.

“It’s all yours, babe. Stay as long as you want.”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Thanks, Bella. Really.”

“Of course. What are best friends for?” She plopped onto my bed. “Now, tell me, what’s the first thing you wanna do as a New Yorker again?”

I smirked, pulling out my phone.

“First? I need to check my emails and see when I start work.”

Bella groaned. “Ugh, boring.”

But as I opened my inbox, my eyes widened.

There it was.

Subject: Welcome to the New York Team!

From: HR - Sterling & Co.

“Well,” I muttered, scrolling through the details. “Looks like I start on Monday.”

Bella’s eyes lit up. “So we have the weekend to go wild?!”

I laughed. New York hadn’t changed. And neither had Bella.

But I had.

And I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.