Samuel coughed into his fist to hide his amusement as Ember watched Kali devour the plates of food he had ordered after his parents left. Kali was an emotional eater, and the reason she didn’t eat when they waited for news about the surgery was because she was emotionally exhausted and in panic. With her sister in recovery and most of the tension around them eased Samuel tried to distract her from the wait by giving her something good to eat.It had been difficult to convince her to leave the hospital, but he had. He reminded her, over and over, that sitting on the bench seats waiting for things to change wouldn’t make them change faster. Thankfully there was a restaurant nearby, and since Ember didn’t have much to eat, he invited her along. Now, he watched her gawk at Kali, who busied herself with her full plate of burgers, fries and a tall glass of Pepsi.He glanced at his discombobulated sister and patted her shoulder. “Stop judging.”“I am not judging.” She stammered, looking down

“How often do you come to these?” “At first, it felt like there was a party every day.” Kali joked as she adjusted the sling on June’s arm. “I wasn’t used to it, and it was mostly saying hello and making small talk, but now, I am more than used to it. I have had a good teacher. Ember walked me through how to make these gatherings easier on myself. Now, it barely registers.” “Maybe you’ll have to teach me,” June whispered, gazing over Kali’s bent head. “I have met six people at this thing and as soon as I mention your name, they are all ‘ohs’ and ‘ahs’. I think three of them have mentioned how grieved they were for missing your wedding. I don’t mind being amiable but I have smiled and laughed, but the conversations just keep coming.” Kali chuckled. “Rule one, don’t be alone. All the questions will fall on you, but if you have someone else, they can either answer on your behalf or shift the conversation to themselves. Stick close to me.” “Say no more.” June flippantly pressed hersel

Kali laughed as Ember continued panther on about her attractive former teaching assistant. Samuel had gone off somewhere, and Ember took her from one group to another, making introductions and catching up with old friends. Kali had only stepped away for ten minutes to get something to drink when Ember joined her, agitated and fiery by the bar. She spent the next five minutes ranting about her college professor. "Teaching assistant." Ember corrected. "He was a teaching assistant."“Fine. Did you guys get off on the wrong foot when you met in Germany?”

Kali returned home that night and only had enough energy to walk up her stairs and drag herself to the nearest couch. Work wasn't as hard as the first day she went, but she was still in her transitional period. She was not only working full-time at the office, but she also tried to maintain her previous clients. It was proving difficult, but she was determined to find a balance. When hunger broke through her exhaustion, she strolled languidly to the kitchen and went straight for the fridge. The first thing that caught her eyes was a large sheet of paper plastered on the body of the fridge with a note written by her sister. 

Kali sat in the middle of her bed, trying to lose herself in the videos she streamed, but her mind was pressed to go back to the night before. Samuel confessing that he was attracted to her had been an interesting surprise, to say the least. As someone who had been attracted to him for months, she couldn’t see the big deal in him finding her attractive as well. Except, at first, she believed he was mortified at the idea of being drawn to her. “Wait. Wait. Wait.” She had held her hand out in front of her, her mind running to process the three simple words he had said. “You like me.”“