????? ?? ???? | pb

6pm, Connecticut

Leah stepped off the plane, her body still feeling the pull of jet lag, but the exhaustion couldn't hide the rush of happiness that hit her as soon as her feet touched the familiar ground of Connecticut. It felt good to be back, even though the weight of everything still clung to her mind.

The moment she walked through the airport doors, she spotted them—Grace, Paige, Jay, and KK, standing together near the entrance. And right there, in Paige's hand, was a bouquet of flowers.

Leah's heart did a little flip in her chest. There was something so sweet about it.

"Well, look who finally decided to come back!" Grace teased as she spotted Leah, her face lighting up with excitement. 

Leah laughed, feeling a warmth spread through her at the sight of her best friend. "It's good to see you, too." she replied, her eyes flicking to Paige, who was already making her way over.

Paige's smile was soft, but there was an intensity in her gaze that made Leah's stomach flutter. She held out the flowers to her. "For you," Paige said simply.

Leah felt a lump in her throat, ironically rolling her eyes as she took them from Paige, unable to stop the smile spreading across her face. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You deserve them," Paige said, brushing a stray strand of hair behind Leah's ear before leaning down to kiss her softly. It was brief but full of everything Leah had been missing.

Once they pulled apart, Grace looked at Paige with a playful raise of her eyebrow, clearly already knowing what Paige was about to do. "You're really spoiling her, huh?"

Paige just shrugged, a small smirk on her lips. "She's worth it."

Leah, still smiling, turned to Grace and hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much," she said, her voice muffled against her best friend's shoulder.

"I missed you too," Grace said, pulling back just enough to look at Leah.

Before Leah could answer, she noticed KK looking a little left out, so she swooped in and wrapped her arms around her as well. "I missed you too, KK!" she exclaimed.

KK couldn't help but laugh, simply hugging her back.

The laughter died down as they all piled into the car, chatting about everything and nothing as they headed to get food.

KK grumbled in the backseat. "I swear, I thought we were going to eat the moment we landed this morning. And it's what? 6pm?"

Jay rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress the grin on his face. "We were waiting for Leah. Now we can all get McDonalds."

"Yes!" KK cheered from the back, pumping her fist in the air excitedly, making Grace and Leah laugh at.

...

Once they had their food, they drove to Paige and Jay's apartment since it had become a familiar gathering place over the past few months. The apartment was already filled with the rest of their friends who were waiting on them to bring home some food (and Leah).

"Leah's back!" Aubrey shouted as they all crowded around her, laughing and talking over each other. "We missed you!"

"I missed you all, too," Leah replied, grinning from ear to ear as she looked at everyone, feeling the weight of the past few days melt away. She could feel the tension that had been holding her chest tight slowly loosen. Her friends, their jokes, the laughter, it was all she needed right now.

They sat around the apartment, eating and laughing, with each person recounting their own stories from the trip. Grace was excitedly describing the sights they had seen in Slovenia, but Leah kept getting distracted. Every time she looked over, Paige would catch her gaze and smile, then reach out to squeeze her hand or kiss her temple. The affection was so natural, so easy between them, and it made Leah's heart swell.

She felt lighter as the night went on. The guilt that had been gnawing at her about her parents was slowly fading away. She let herself relax, let herself enjoy this moment. She finally felt at home—truly, completely home.

...

As the night wound down and people began to leave, the apartment started to quiet. Aubrey, Azzi, and the others filtered out, giving Leah and Paige space to be alone.

Paige sat beside her on the couch, her arm draped over Leah's shoulder.

Finally, Leah turned to Paige, whispering as if she was letting her in on a secret. "I'm so happy that this is how everything turned out. I was so scared... but now it's over."

Paige's smile was tender as she brushed a strand of hair behind Leah's ear, her thumb brushing over her cheek. "Me too, baby. I'll make sure it stays like this forever."

Leah let out a breath, her heart full. "I love you, Paige." she whispered again.

"I love you more," Paige murmured, leaning in to kiss her, a slow, soft kiss that made Leah feel like the whole world was theirs.

When they pulled away, they were both smiling, looking into each other's eyes with the kind of understanding that only comes when you've been through everything together.

This was it. This was their moment. And as Leah rested her head on Paige's shoulder, everything felt final, everything felt right.

They had made it through, and now they had each other—no more doubts, no more fears. Just love. Just them.

And that was everything Leah had ever dreamed of. She had finally, truly accepted it.