Thank you for your continued support of my crazy ventures. I sincerely appreciate it and I appreciate you all.
Standard disclaimer.
Last chapter.
I supposed it was a good thing that my stomach had stopped hurting, because, I was on my fourth or so death-grip hug, and I was sure, all the excess air had been squeezed right out of me.
It was Friday night, almost two weeks after what I was now referring to, as 'Monday Suck-day'.
I'd returned to Marcy's this past Thursday, even though Ryder insisted, I could take as much time off as I needed...even a month...but I needed to get back to my life and I needed the money.
My shiner had all but faded and it probably should've been completely gone by now, but there were some broken blood vessels.
However, I wasn't worried, it was barely visible.
The whole gang was there, hanging out at the bar for the night, before heading back Sunday morning.
They were staying at Ryder's house, camped out in the guest bedroom and the couch.
"I think you kind of look bad-ass with the black eye," San said, as she hitched up her neon-blue halter top. "Like I should be afraid, you could kick my ass."
Marley leaned against the bar beside me, folding her arms along the top. Her brown hair was pulled up in a high ponytail.
"She could probably kick all of our asses. The short ones are always the ones to watch."
"It's true," I told the girls. "Watch out!"
Avery laughed, as she held a refilled glass of Coke.
"Yeah, us short ones are deadly. I took Suzy out last weekend," she said.
My brows flew up, as I looked at the stunning dark-haired girl.
"I feel like I need details on this."
Suzy laughed, as she swiveled around on the bar stool.
"I found these boxing gloves of Hunter's and we had a match. I was going easy on her, though, only popping her in the arm."
"Whatever." Avery glanced over to where Chris stood with Hunter and Ryder. They were fan-boying over Brody. "I thought Chris was going to have a heart attack when we started."
"Yeah, I thought we were going to have to call nine-one-one." Suzy snorted. "It was funny, because, I'm pretty sure Hunter thought, it was like watching some kind of pervy fantasy come true...two girls with boxing gloves."
Marley laughed as she poured a shot.
"Poor Chris. Gotta suck, when one of those girls is your sister."
"You know, I think that would be a great show to do at the club. The girls could be in bikinis. Or topless," San said.
She took a shot and downed it in an impressive swallow. Smacking her lips and sighing happily, she placed the glass back on the bar.
"I'm totally going to pitch that to Harry. He likes my ideas." She shimmied her hips, stressing on the word 'like'.
I arched my brow as I looked at the two girls.
"See what you guys have done?"
Avery giggled.
"Anyway guys," San started. "I've got to get back and make some mon-nay! Peace out...oh wait!"
She spun to where Noah appeared behind the bar, a bushel of fresh limes was in his hands and his dark brows rose, to meet her wide stare.
"You!" she shouted, hopping forward, her breasts defying gravity and the halter top.
He set the limes on the bar.
"Me?"
I grinned as Calla pushed back, curiosity settling into her features.
"Yes. You!" She pointed at him with blue nails, which matched her top. "I have something to tell you."
"Oh no," murmured Marley, while I barely refrained from hopping with excitement.
San wiggled her fingers, like she was about to break into a jazz hand routine.
"She's coming tonight."
Noah arched a brow.
"I don't know who the lucky lady is, but I sure hope so."
I snorted.
Undeterred, San waved her hand.
"It's her. The one you're going to fall for and fall hard. Oh, boy, you have so met your match. Totally." Beaming at a now silent Noah, she spun towards us and laughed. "Toodles, my bitches."
We all watched her strut her way out of the bar, in her five-inch platform heels, then I turned to Noah, tapping him on his arm.
"Oh, snap. She's totally right about these things."
Noah paled.
"Shut up."
"No. She was right when it came to Ryder and me," Marley confirmed. "She's like the stripper-love-psychic or something."
He looked horrified.
"Both of you shut up."
I giggled gleefully.
"I cannot wait for this."
Noah scowled and went about his work.
Minutes later, door to the bar swung open and all of us whirled towards it.
A laugh burst out of me...a high-pitched cackle, when I saw who it was.
"Oh my God."
Rachel Berry walked in, frowning in our direction. Her dark hair was styled straight with bangs and her flat midriff was on full display.
The girl was good looking, but she also had no concept of personal space, plus she'd been a total bitch to Marley, and I was so not okay with that.
But the idea that Noah would fall for her?
I just about died. Laughing so hard, my stomach hurt, as I smacked my hands down on the bar top.
"Oh my God, it's her!" I said.
Marley folded her arms, when Rachel started towards the guys, grinning like the cat that ate an entire cage full of canaries.
Then, she veered off at the last minute.
"That's sick," Marley said to Noah. "I don't know if I can be friends with you now."
He rolled his eyes.
"I can tell you right now, that Santana's juju is broke as shit, because, no part of my body is getting near that."
"Whatever," I sung loudly. "It's true love."
The look he shot me was dark, but it didn't wipe my grin off my face.
Eventually Avery and Suzy joined the guys, and when we had a down moment behind the bar, Marley got all serious-face with me.
"Are you really okay?" she asked. "I mean, I know what you've gone through is crazy, and I've been through some crazy myself, so I know it can be hard."
I nodded as I started to cut up a lime.
"I am. Well, I think I am, if that makes any sense. There are a couple of moments, where I'm still freaked out about it. I'm not going to lie. What Kip did, I just don't want to really dwell on it, you know? He's gone. And they found that girl's body, and that's what matters now. At least her family will have some kind of closure."
"Yeah," she replied, eyeing me closely. "And everything with Kurt?"
Cutting through another lime, I smiled. It was a little sad, but it was real.
"I miss him. I miss not seeing him every Friday, but I'll get through this and it's getting easier."
"I'm happy to hear that. By the way, I love the new glasses. Pink frames look great on you...what in the world?"
I looked up, following her gaze.
A girl had just walked into the bar. I've never seen her before, but good Lord, she was absolutely stunning.
With shiny blonde hair and a body I'd probably give away an ovary or two for, she was tall and looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine.
The newcomer was headed towards the bar, but she stopped, her mouth dropping open, as she spotted the crew over by the pool tables.
I looked at them. But it was Suzy who saw her first, and she drew back, surprised and obviously recognizing the girl.
Then she smiled...a tentative smile that grew...as she glanced over at Chris and Avery.
"Quinn?" she called out. "What in the hell are you doing here?"
The girl named Quinn recovered enough, to walk over towards them. I couldn't hear what she said over the noise, so I glanced up at Marley.
"You guys know her?"
"Yeah. She went to Shepherd. Graduated with Hunter. Remember what I told you happened to Suzy's roommate, before she moved out of the dorm?"
"The girl that was killed?"
Marley nodded.
"When Suzy found her body, she freaked, and it was Quinn who took care of her and called the police. Turned out, she lived in the other suite, but Suzy had never seen her. I don't know her that well, but she seems really nice."
"Wow!
"I've got to go see what she's doing here. You good back here?"
"Yep." I waved her off. "Go get me some gossip."
Things got pretty busy, and when Marley returned to help run orders out of the kitchen, there wasn't any time to find out, why the girl who used to go to Shepherd was up here.
And I couldn't help but think of what San had said to Noah, when I saw him grinning at Quinn, when she came up to the bar to get a rum and coke.
I knew that grin. He was interested.
Since Marley was here for the weekend, she was closing down the bar with Ryder and Noah, that meant, I didn't have to hang around.
After saying good-bye to everyone and getting a hug from Ryder, that lifted me clear off my feet, I pulled on my cardigan and headed outside.
A cruiser waited for me in the parking lot and a smile automatically blossomed on my face.
Grinning, I headed towards it, just as the window rolled down and revealed one hot-as-hell cop.
"Lunch break?" I asked.
He bit down on his lower lip.
"My favorite kind of lunch break."
Heat simmered low in my belly. I totally knew what kind of lunch break he was thinking of.
"Mine, too." Hoping I wasn't breaking some kind of cop in a cruiser rule, I bent down and kissed him through the window. "Meet me back at your place?"
One side of his lips kicked up.
"See you then."
At some point, I was going to move back into my apartment, sooner, rather than later. Not because I didn't love staying with Sam. I did, especially on nights like this, when it took only a handful of minutes to get from Marcy's to his condo...and we could engage in some freak-a-deak.
I hadn't told Marley, but the idea of sleeping in my apartment, gave me the sweats, and the only way I could overcome that, was by doing it.
Obviously, I wouldn't do it alone, Sam would be there with me, but getting back into my apartment, was one way to get back to normal.
When we got to Sam's condo, there was no time for fooling around and pretending we were going to actually eat something.
He wrapped his strong arms around me and kissed me like he was a man dying of thirst. I was dizzy and breathless from it.
Then, we went at each other, ending up on the couch, with me on my knees, grasping the back of the couch and his body behind mine.
He had one hand on my hip and the other between my thighs. This really was the best kind of lunch break.
My muscles were jelly and I stayed where he left me, curled over the back of the couch, as he fixed his uniform, secure his duty belt, and then rooted through my clothing.
I watched him, my cheek resting on my hands, and as he straightened, he smacked my butt.
"Pervert," I murmured.
He winked.
"You like it."
"Maybe."
Laughing, he picked up my cardigan and said,
"Let me help."
I raised my brows at him, but lifted one arm with a sigh. Dressing me in the cardigan, was like herding wildcats, but he stuck with it, securing each button.
"I want to come home in the morning and find you in my bed wearing just this," he said.
"You really are a pervert."
Sam brushed his lips over mine.
"And I really wish I didn't have to head back out."
"Me, too." I fixed the collar on his uniform. "But I'll be here."
He kissed me again, curling his arm around my waist and lifting me off the couch. Placing me on my feet, he drew me up against him.
"Walk me to the door?"
Since the door was a whopping ten feet away, I could manage.
Following him, I contented myself with the knowledge, of a pint of double-fudge ice cream in the freezer...just for me. I was going to make that pint my bitch, as soon as I closed the door.
Sam turned, his gaze moving over me with enough intensity, that it felt like a physical caress.
"We're still on for Sunday, right?"
Ah, Sunday. Phase two of moving on from...well, from everything...begins on Sunday. It was going to be a rough day, but I was ready.
Stretching up on the tips of my toes, I kissed the corner of his lips.
"Yeah, we're still on."
"Good," he replied and then started out the door.
"Sam..." He looked at me over his shoulder, and I said, "...I love you."
His face transformed from striking to stunning, with a broad smile, that had my heart spinning around in a happy dance.
I love you too, baby."
As I closed the door and threw the lock, I had to admit, that was much better than saying good-bye.
A soft breeze rattled the limbs of the trees lining the road, as we stepped out of Sam's truck.
Lifting my chin, I squinted, as I stared out over the cemetery, my gaze drifting over the marble tombstones and large tombs.
It was a sunny day. The sky was the perfect shade of blue, and the scarce clouds, fluffy and white.
My mind churned with the watercolors I'd have to mix, to capture that right color of blue and clouds, well, clouds were easy and fun to paint.
I tugged on the hem of my light sweater and then reached up, tucking the streak of pink hair back behind my ear.
Sam walked to where I stood, with the tips of my flats just brushing the manicured grass.
"You ready?" he asked.
Pressing my lips together, I nodded, and so, we started out following the paved walkway.
There was a ball in my throat...a mixture of nerves and a sadness that would linger, probably, for a long time.
I knew that one day, I would think of Kurt and there wouldn't be any sadness. There would just be warmth and happiness, and the special memories of him, I would always have and cherish.
Neither of us spoke, as we crested the small hill. My steps faltered and my heart pounded, we could see Kurt's final resting place for the first time, since I'd left the funeral.
His parents had, as expected, spared no expense, when it came to marking their son's grave.
It was weird to me, since they'd barely been there for him the last six years, but who was I to judge?
Maybe this was their way of showing him how much they did love him...how much they missed him.
A white angel had been erected, behind a rather simple headstone, its wings spread wide and head bowed. And in her arms was a small child, held close to her breast.
I don't know why, but seeing the statue, made me want to plop down in the grass and weep like I'd never cried before.
But we weren't the only ones in the cemetery. Nor was Kurt's resting place empty. Not that I was expecting it to be.
Standing off to the side, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans and his head tipped up, as if he too was caught up in the angel's mournful expression, was Patrick Karofsky.
The breath I took was shaky.
When I'd told Sam the second thing I wanted to do, was finally talk to Patrick, he'd been one hundred percent behind it, just like he was, when it came to my college plans.
And that's why we were here, at the cemetery on a breezy Sunday afternoon.
Patrick lowered his head and turned towards us. A small, unsure smile appeared on his face, as he pulled one hand out of his pocket and ran it over the buzz of brown hair that had grown, since the last time I'd seen him...which had been in Kip's apartment.
I had to be honest with myself. He and I were never going to be friends.
Though, I didn't even think, that was what he wanted, because, it would be too strained and too painful. Plus, that would be asking a lot of both of us.
But to really, truly, forgive myself, I had to forgive him first.
For a moment, I let myself picture Kurt, somewhere up in that beautiful sky, looking down on all of us, and I imagined him smiling.
I imagined him being happy about this. Most of all, I imagined him being proud of me...of all of us. And God, that felt good.
Sam's hand found mine and he squeezed reassuringly.
"You want to try to do this?" he asked.
"No..."
I looked up at him and our gazes met. Love was spelled out in every flicker of emotion on his striking face.
God, I was such a lucky girl and I was so in love with him, that it could lift me right off my feet. I squeezed his hand back and said,
"I'm not going to try. I'm going to do this."
Stay safe!