Adrenaline

bonus chapter 02 | lavender haze

"Stop sucking face, fucking hell," Seira whined. "We're literally standing on the curb at LAX."

Lauren and Jun tore themselves away from each other with much effort. They deserved some points for that.

"Leave us alone for the next twenty-four hours," Lauren demanded. She started typing something on her phone and I would bet money it was her ordering the two of them an Uber so they could book it home and spend quality time ignoring every single call and text they received. "We've spent every day for the past four months together and I don't even want to know your names for the next week."

"The fire signs are back to their horny selves, I see." Seira stared out at the distance, a blank stare in her eyes. "I'm so single."

Two lone buoys out at sea together, Rami and Seira had taken it upon themselves to initiate MARS singles nights—the two of them ate at a new ramen place and didn't invite the rest of us. Honestly, it was almost enough to break up with Brendon for a week or two just to go along with them a couple of times.

"Can I please get a special pass for to—"

"Rami," Seira interrupted me. "Singles night?"

"Sure."

I glared. "I hate you."

"You'll be busy anyway."

"No, I won't—"

"Did someone call an Uber?"

I spun around at the sound of his voice.

One thing I could always count on, no matter how tired, was recognizing the sound of his voice. It was as familiar to me as the crashing waves back home on the favorite shores of my home. And even after almost an entire year of being together—for real this time, not just orbiting in wait for the fateful collision that sent us into our separate dimension—that lavender haze had stayed put in my brain. It tumbled and rippled along my body at the very sight of him. And as I dropped my bags and ran toward him, not stopping until we were wrapped so tight around each other I was convinced we wouldn't be able to tear ourselves apart again, I drowned in that sensation.

"What are you doing here?" I nearly cried into his chest.

"Surprise."

I pressed my face into the space that had somehow wedged itself between us. "You're such a spoon. And all of them too."

"In my defense, they didn't tell me he was coming," Jun said from behind me.

"That's because you would have spoiled the surprise," Rami replied.

Seira pushed the handle down on her suitcase. "What was that about not being busy?"

"Change of plans." I smiled. Tightened my arms around Brendon again if thought it didn't seem possible.

She hummed in response and moved past me to place her bags inside Rami's SUV, which Brendon had borrowed to pick us up. After a quick confirmation that Lauren had been, in fact, ordering another Uber, on account of knowing that Brendon was coming to get us and thought it would be easier to get a second car since their apartment was in the opposite direction as everyone else's, we all piled inside and drove off.

...

I wasn't even remotely embarrassed or surprised by how quickly we finished that first bottle of wine and opened up the second.

Although Rix and I had both spent a lot of time this season attempting to teach Brendon how to use chopsticks for good while ultimately not achieving our goal—he often got the hang of it for a while and then it was like his brain was reset to chopsticks: inoperable—Brendon had upped his culinary game, particularly with pasta. And since I was a fan of all things carbs, I was all too happy to indulge in his efforts.