“What a horrifying ordeal,” Sarah said.

“Well, we adapted. It was bad near the end, though. I’m not sure how much longer we would have lasted.”

Sarah handed me an afghan and I tucked my legs under it.

“I was surprised to see John at the airport,” I said.

“I called him. He was devastated when your plane went down and he was really happy when I told him you were alive.”

“I thought he would have moved on. Maybe married someone by now.”

“No. He was dating someone for quite a while, but as far as I know he’s still single.”

“Oh.”

“What did you decide about him?”

“He’s not the one I’m supposed to be with, Sarah. I don’t know what would have happened if my plane hadn’t gone down, but I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted.” I shook my head. “It wasn’t him.”

“You and T.J. are together, aren’t you?” Sarah asked.

“Yes. Are you surprised?”

“Under the circumstances? No. How old is he?”

“Twenty.”

“How old was he when it started?”

“Almost nineteen.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes.”

“I saw the way he looked at you. How he comforted you at the airport. He loves you, too.” Sarah said.

I put my empty mug on the coffee table and nodded my head. “Yes. He does.”

The doorbell rang, and Sarah walked across the room. I followed and held my breath as she looked through the peephole and opened the door. Stefani stood there, tears streaming down her face. I pulled her into my arms, no words capable of expressing how it felt to see her again.

“Oh, Anna,” she said, sobbing, squeezing me with the strength of her embrace. “You came home.”

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Chapter 46 – T.J.

Later that night I went into my room, stretched out on my bed, and called Anna. “Hey,” I said when she answered. “How are you doing?”

“I’m worn out. Too much to process.”

“I wish I could help.”

“It’s just going to take time,” she said. “I’ll be okay.”

“I’m lying on my old bed. My mom didn’t get rid of anything.”

“Neither did Sarah. I thought people were supposed to give your stuff away when you died.”

“My mom knows about us.”

“Oh, God. What did she say?”

“She asked me how old I was when it started. That’s it.”

“She might revisit that later.”

“Maybe. So was that John at the airport?”

“Yes.”

“What did you say to him?”

“Nothing. He cut me off. I’m supposed to call him.”

“Are you going to?”

“Eventually. I can’t deal with it right now. A few days ago we were walking on the beach. Now we’re home. It’s surreal.”

“I know.”

“Are you tired?” she asked.

“Exhausted.”

“Get some sleep.”

“I love you, Anna.”

“I love you, too.”

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Chapter 47 – Anna

Sarah opened the bedroom door, holding a cup of coffee and the newspaper in her hand.

“Are you awake?”

I sat up and blinked. Daylight filtered in through the sheer curtains. “What time is it?”

“Almost ten o’clock.” Sarah handed me the coffee and put the newspaper on the nightstand. “The reporters won’t take no for an answer. I had to turn the ringer off.”

I picked up her cell from the nightstand and turned it on. I’d shut it off after I talked to T.J. The screen showed eleven missed calls.

“They’re calling your cell, too. I’ll get my own phone as soon as I can.”

Sarah waved her hand dismissively. “No hurry. Maybe we can send David out to pick one up.”

I set the coffee on the nightstand and picked up the newspaper. Pictures of T.J. and I covered the front page. There were the same ones I’d already seen on CNN and several from the airport. The largest one showed T.J. kissing my forehead surrounded by smaller shots of us running hand in hand, embracing, and him wiping my tears away and holding me in his arms. For those who had speculated about the nature of our relationship, one look at the front page probably answered their most burning questions.

I handed the newspaper to Sarah. “If any reporters get through, tell them I’m not ready to talk, okay?” I picked up my mug and cupped it in my hands. Thoughts of my mom and dad filled my head and I started crying. Sarah climbed in bed and put her arms around me, handing me a box of Kleenex.

“It’s okay, Anna. I did that, too, after each of them died. It’s going to take a while before it stops hurting so much.”

I nodded my head. “I know.”

“Are you hungry? David ran out to get breakfast.”

The emotional turmoil ruined my appetite, but my stomach felt empty. “A little.”

“What do you want to do today?”

“I should probably make some appointments. Doctor, dentist, haircut.”

Sarah left the room and returned with the phone book. “Tell me who to call.”

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Chapter 48 – T.J.

Ben burst into my room, holding the newspaper in his hand.

“One question,” he said, walking toward my bed holding his index finger in the air. “How old were you when you started bangin’ her? Because I’m pretty sure from these pictures that you are.”

If he hadn’t been looking down at the shot of me kissing Anna, he might have seen my fist coming before it connected with his left eye.

“Jesus Christ! What’d you do that for?” he asked, looking up at me from the floor where he was sprawled, holding his eye.

“That’s the first thing you say to me after three-and-a-half years?”

He sat up, his right eye already starting to swell.

“Fuck, Callahan. That hurt.”

I got out of bed and held my hand out to him. He grabbed it and I pulled him off the floor. “Don’t ever say something like that about her again.”

“T.J?” My mom stood in the open doorway. She noticed Ben holding his eye. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine, Mom.”

“Yeah we’re cool, Jane,” Ben said.

My mom looked at us but didn’t ask what had happened. “What do you want to eat, T.J.?”

“Anything, Mom.”

After my mom left Ben said, “So are you, like, in love with her or something?”

“Yes.”

“Does she love you?”

“She says she does.”

“Does your mom know?”

“Yep.”

“She freak out?”

“Not yet.”

“Well I’m glad you’re back, man.” Ben gave me an awkward hug. “I had a really hard time when they told me you were dead.” He looked down at the floor. “I spoke at your funeral.”

“You did?”

He nodded.

Ben could hardly stand up in front of everyone in our ninth grade speech class. I couldn’t picture him addressing the people at my funeral. Maybe I shouldn’t have punched him. “That was cool of you, Ben.”

“Yeah, well, it made your mom happy. Anyway, you’re gonna cut your hair, aren’t you? You look like a goddamned girl.”

“Yeah.”

My mom made me a cheeseburger and French fries, and Ben sat with me while I ate. My parents both hugged me a couple times and my mom kissed me. Ben probably wanted to make a smart-ass comment but he held some ice on his eye and kept his mouth shut. Grace and Alexis sat at the table for a while, telling me about school and their friends. I drained the last of my Coke.

“I can’t get you in with Dr. Sanderson until tomorrow. I thought maybe they would squeeze you in but apparently they’re overbooked.”