78 - Party

Ava

I cooked pizza for us all, using a dough that had been frozen before. The boys love adding their own toppings to their mini pizzas as I try to smooth out the cheese and passata without moving their creative masterpieces.. Lou’s pizza is a mess, piled high with toppings but she winks at me.

I smile back, feeling, in many ways, that my life has settled so quickly back to something normal. As though I can almost forget the last few days. But Lou is pale and her movements are slow. Pretty soon I’ll suggest she goes back to Anton’s to get some rest.

I don’t want her to exhaust herself, but I know how much she needed to see the boys. I feel that, deep in my bones. That need to really know that they’re alright. There’s a knock at the door and I wipe my hands down on a kitchen towel. There’s flour on my shirt and I don’t care. I’m too eager to get the door.

It’s Kylar. It has to be Kylar, he’s come back and finally, I’ll have the chance to speak to him. To tell him that I’m sorry. I’v