𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐲

Chapter 100

— Chapter 100 —
For Those Who Stray

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E L L I O T

A hefty, tattooed arm held me close against the body of a glowing biker on the night we finally strolled back into Joe's Bar.

An onslaught of cheering and applause spilled out madly. Ushered in by a murder of ecstatic Stray Dogs, shouts and whistles split the air, drowning out the faint rock music rippling through the room. Glasses were raised. Smiles dashed across every weathered face.

I did very little to stand in the way as Noah was quickly enveloped in a sea of welcoming hands.

"Drinks on the house!" Splitter bellowed, his voice hurtling over the din. "For the man who cheated death and saved a city!"

A pandemonium of laughter and ovations engulfed the glittering space. It was enough to prick my eyes as Noah's lips spun into a genuine smile, his wounded shoulder refusing to cave under the hearty pats of his enthusiastic comrades. From the way he carried himself to the humble manner in which he greeted them all, he owned everyone's attention like a prince among men. Looking away was impossible.

More than a month had passed since he'd woken up from surgery. To me, that time had vanished in the blink of an eye.

It'd been some of the most important days of my life. Helping Noah with his recovery, processing the triumph of my acceptance letter, and planning out our near future—which involved searching for apartments and finalizing the specifics for our move to New York City.

Life was too short to stay stagnant, after all.

With all the commotion in recent months, I'd put off my college plans for too long—but after a few phone calls to NYU and a well-planned shuffling of the schedule, I'd decided to start my degree in the spring semester. The change would give Noah and I more than enough time to settle in and recuperate before life became demanding again.

We were leaving Boston tonight, and I'd never been more excited or ready for such a change.

Saying goodbye to my mother's grave was unquestionably the hardest part. After the damage I'd done to it, just carrying myself there was daunting and shameful. It'd taken a lot of visits and many conversations with silence before I accepted the reality of our situation. All I could do now was hope she was proud and that she had forgiven me.

I'll be back to visit, was my promise to her headstone. I may not be nearby, but you won't be alone here.

And maybe the guilt would one day release me.

One day.

As Noah basked in the admiration of the surrounding bikers, my thoughts drifted back to the whirlwind of events that'd led to this night. Despite the recent toll on his physical health, nobody was more eager than my biker to leave. He'd made most of our preparations for the move, and short of packing our bags, he'd secured us a temporary place and organized all the logistics with remarkable efficiency. His energy seemed limitless, a stark contrast to the weary figure I'd feared I might lose during those horrible nights in the hospital.

Our combined efforts only left Fuckass to worry about.

As enamored as I was with the little black cat, I knew it was for the best that we didn't take her with us. So, I'd asked around for three weeks hoping that someone would take her in on our behalf. And for three weeks, nothing. That is, until Jesse swooped in, the good-natured savior she was, insisting she take the feline off our hands.