Standing outside in the chilly winter air, I hardly feel the cold at all. This may have something to do with the warm down jacket I wear, or maybe it's because I'm surrounded by the people I love, all of us gathered in the parking lot of the county jail with a mutual purpose.

Deep down, I know my good mood really has everything to do with the fact that today will be the day I am finally reunited with Thorne after a week apart. After what feels like a dreadful eternity, the boy I love will finally be back where he belongs: by my side.

"Excited?" Charlie asks from where she stands next to me, her gray eyes gleaming knowingly as they meet mine. I can hardly stand still as I turn to face my friend, feeling happy and invigorated.

"You have no idea." I shoot Charlie a smile full of warmth, unable to contain my elation.

"I can't believe our plan really worked," Wells muses, running a hand through his golden hair, his amber eyes finding mine. "I mean, we got Thorne's dad to agree to pay Thorne's bail. That's crazy."

"We?" Violet scoffs, sashaying over to where Wells, Charlie, and I stand in a little huddle. She tosses her purple-streaked hair behind her shoulder as she takes my side, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to pull me into her. "Please. That was all Mia here."

"Fair enough," Wells agrees, much to my embarrassment, a faint smile outlining his lips. "Who knew Mia could be badass when she wanted to be?" Wells teases, poking my side playfully.

"Come on, you guys," I counter as Jay strolls toward the rest of us, car keys in hand. "It wasn't just me that got this plan to work. I mean, I couldn't have done it without your help writing that exposé. Or without Charlie going all karate kid on the security guards that were chasing us."

Charlie smirks, her eyes dancing as she shoots me a satisfied look. "I am pretty good at going karate kid on annoying security guards, aren't I?"

A laugh escapes my lips, the sound light and breezy. I can't remember the last time I laughed, as I've been under a lot of stress these past few days. But right now, gathered with my friends as we wait for Thorne—the boy who brought all of us together—to finally be reunited with the people who love him, I feel as light as a feather. Just knowing that I'm going to be seeing Thorne in only a few short minutes has every worry and fear that's been consuming me over the past week flying out of the window, unable to bother me any longer.

For the first time in a long time, I feel really, truly at peace. Happy, even. I didn't realize how much I've missed the feeling until I'm experiencing it again, cherishing the emotion just in case it doesn't last long.

"Seriously," I find myself mumbling softly, looking at each of my friends closely in turn, unable to describe the amount of love I feel for each of them. "I wouldn't have been able to get to this point without you guys. This means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to Thorne, too. So, thank you." Only seconds ago I was happy and laughing, but now my eyes prickle with oncoming tears. I blame my roller-coaster feelings on the fact that today is a very emotional day, though I know it runs deeper than that.

"Oh, Mia," Charlie says, shaking her head. "You know we'd do anything for you and Thorne. We love you guys."

"Yeah," Violet agrees, her arm still looped around my shoulders. "I mean, that's what you do for family. You're always there for them, no matter what."

"No matter what," Wells agrees gruffly, smiling wanly. "Even if they punch you in the face for hitting on their kind-of-girlfriends."

"And even if they end up getting stuck in jail. Again," Jay mutters through a chuckle. "You stick by them, because you know they'd do the same for you."

Though I'm smiling, I can feel my bottom lip trembling slightly. I can't stop myself from thinking that I don't deserve to have such wonderful friends, but I stop the thought short. These people aren't my friends, I remind myself, they're my family.

In seconds, we're all wrapped in a group hug that I wind up in the center of, getting crushed to the point where I can't breathe. I politely remind my friends that I need oxygen to live, breaking out of the bear hug and stepping to the side.

At that instant, however, a movement by the front of the county jail catches my eye. I look up to find the front door of the dark brick building in front of me being swung open, and out walks Thorne. A police officer and his father step out into the parking lot with him, though I find that my gaze only focuses on Thorne.

His dark hair is a mess. He's dressed in the same white tee and black jeans he was wearing when he was arrested exactly a week ago. My eyes wander over all of his tattoos before finding themselves back on his beautiful face, looking into a pair of green eyes I know all too well. Thorne's irises gleam brightly, a light that shines with playfulness and freedom. As his gaze settles on all of the people who love him gathered in the parking lot to greet him after our time apart, Thorne's lips curl into one of the widest grins I've ever seen him wear.

And then his eyes are on mine, and time stops around us. I can feel our gazes locking as I watch Thorne hesitate mid-step, like he's too distracted to walk. For a moment, his smile falters, masses of emotions running over his features.

Unintentionally, I take a step forward. And then Thorne is moving, too, the grin on his lips wider than the one he was wearing moments before. I rush toward him as he makes his way to me, like we're being drawn together by some invisible force.

Before I know it, I'm close enough to touch him. I melt into Thorne easily, taking his face in my hands as I kiss him in a way that reveals how much I've missed him, expressing every emotion I feel for the boy in front of me now through my lips. I lose my touch in his hair as Thorne kisses me back, pulling me toward him, one arm wrapped around my waist and the other gently caressing my cheek.

I pull back for air, Thorne's shirt balled up in my fists as I inhale a sharp breath, lifting my eyes to his.

"Never leave me like that again," I whisper to him with a glare, suddenly feeling like punching him in the face for ever leaving me at all.

Thorne must sense what I'm thinking, because he laughs as he gazes down at me. "Never again," he assures me, running his thumb over my cheekbone gently. "I promise."

I resist the urge to slap Thorne in his ridiculously attractive face and instead lean forward to kiss him again, savoring this time I'm so lucky to have with him after all the time we've been forced to spend apart.

I force myself to pull away from Thorne momentarily, giving all of his friends the chance to greet him. Charlie wraps Thorne in a bear hug that sends him staggering backward slightly, though the grin on his lips tells me he doesn't mind. Violet plants a kiss on his cheek after punching him in the stomach, asking Thorne how he could possibly be so stupid as to wind up behind bars again. Jay pats Thorne on the back before wrapping him in a hug. Wells smirks at Thorne and then they go into this weird handshake of theirs that I've never quite understood, ending the action off with punches on the shoulders.

Interrupting the moment and completely ruining the lighthearted mood, Mark Baxter takes a step forward. His green eyes gleam with a cold light that sends a chilling shiver down my spine, his presence dark and threatening. Everything about the man screams cold yet calculated anger, as if just a glance in your direction from him is really his way of trying to come up with how he could make you of use to him and his empire.

The instant Thorne's eyes land on his father, they immediately darken. His expression hardens, and I can see all of his guards and defenses going up. I purse my lips, as this is the part of Thorne's release I'd been dreading. I know how much Thorne despises his father, and I'm still unsure how he's handling the fact that his dad was the person to bail him out of jail.

I'm expecting Thorne to spit something snarky at his father, or possibly even initiate some sort of fight with him. Instead, surprising me a little, Thorne shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans and offers his father a simple nod.

"Thank you," Thorne says to Mark gruffly, eyes downcast. "You didn't have to help me, but . . ." Thorne trails off, and I notice his cheeks are tinted a light shade of pink. "Um, thank you."

"Save it," Mark barks, a disgusted expression on his face. Waving his hand dismissively, Mr. Baxter grumbles, "I'm only here because you're precious little girlfriend thought it'd be a good idea to blackmail me into this. But now you owe me, and I'm holding you to that, boy."

Thorne's head whips up, his wide-eyed gaze finding mine in shock. Evidently, Thorne was unaware of the "blackmail" part of the situation. I'll fill him in on that later, I think to myself, feeling rage begin to course through my veins. Right now, someone has to deal with Mr. Bastard.

Angrily, I storm forward, shoving past Thorne as I stand directly in front of his father. The glare I shoot Mr. Baxter could kill, and I find myself talking before I even understand what I'm saying.

"Thorne doesn't owe you anything," I snap, my nails digging into my palms as my fists clench at my sides. "If you want to have a problem with someone, then that someone should be me. But you're forgetting one important detail."

Without tearing my gaze off of Mr. Baxter, I extend a hand to Charlie's direction. She sets a stack of papers into my grasp instantly, and I hold the manuscript up to Thorne's father with a smirk curled onto my lips. Mr. Baxter's eyes widen in realization as he stares at the papers, shock evident in his expression.

"I made copies," I say simply, talking about the exposé I threatened Mr. Baxter with just to get him to show up here today. "So, unless you want your reputation ruined for good, I'd walk away right about now."

Mr. Baxter shoots me a withering glance, clearly upset by the fact that he has been shown up by his son's girlfriend not once, but twice now. Backing up slowly, Mark points an accusing finger at me as he mutters, "This isn't over."

I wave the papers in my hand tauntingly, tilting my head as I peer out at Mr. Baxter. "Isn't it, though?"

With one last crude glare and a shake of his head, Mr. Baxter disappears down the parking lot in search of his car. I watch him go, hoping that he'll stay gone for good. With that, I hand the papers back over to Charlie, who quickly disposes of them into her purse.

Turning back to Thorne, I find that his expression has gone slack as he gazes down at me, eyes gleaming with admiration and surprise, as if he's looking at me for the first time. Shaking his head slowly, Thorne's lips curl into a smirk as he mumbles, "Just when I thought I couldn't possibly love you more . . ."

I simply loop my arms around Thorne's neck, planting a swift kiss on his lips before pulling away, shooting him a you haven't seen anything yet smile as I take his hand in my own.

"Come on," I tell him softly, dragging my boyfriend along with me. "Let's get out of here."

★★★

"To Thorne." Charlie raises the beer bottle in her hand into the air as she speaks, proposing a toast. "The moron you don't miss until he's gone."

I bite my lip to suppress a smile, leaning into Thorne's side. After we left the town jail, we all ended up at Charlie's apartment, the place we all seem to go when we have nowhere else to be. In Charlie's apartment, surrounded by my friends and with Thorne by my side, I feel happy and safe—just like old times. Now that Thorne's back and there's nothing standing in the way of our futures together, however, I find myself thinking that I don't really need to look back on the old times anymore. I'm perfectly content living in this moment, making memories that are going to last a lifetime.

Thorne keeps an arm wrapped around me as he chuckles lightly, shaking his head. "You should have said: To the whack ass family you don't miss until you're stuck behind bars."

"Did you hear that?" Wells exclaims jokingly. "He missed us!"

Thorne rolls his eyes, though the grin on his lips is undeniable. "I missed certain people," Thorne muses, glancing down at me pointedly.

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?" I tease, running a hand up his chest slowly.

"No," Thorne whispers, leaning toward me. "This is my way of saying I missed you." He pulls me into him, capturing my lips with his as he captivates me with a tender kiss.

When we pull away, I can't stop myself from smiling. It's almost surreal how good it feels to have Thorne back, to know that we're finally free to just be. There are no more bitchy ex-friends stopping us from being together, I don't have to keep Thorne a secret from my overly-protective parents, and the illegal business that had come between us has long since passed.

"So, I take it you two are back together," Violet states, gesturing between Thorne and I with her pointer finger questioningly. My face flushes at the memory of the short-lived time where Thorne and I were temporarily separated, a split I had started.

Charlie snorts, my attention drifting to where she leans against the kitchen counter. "That reminds me," she says, eyes on Thorne as she shoots him a wicked smirk. Thorne instantly tenses next to me, and I raise an eyebrow questioningly at what's going on. "Thorne cried for literal days after you dumped him, Mia. What was it you said, buddy? Your heart will never experience love again?"

I purse my lips to fight a smile, glancing up at Thorne to find his cheeks are flaming red. Glaring at Charlie, he snaps, "You had to go there, huh?"

"Of course." She smirks, flaunting out of the room.

"You cried over me?" I don't know why a part of me finds this to be an actually touching revelation. I mean, I don't like thinking of the time we were broken up, and I definitely don't like to hear that I had hurt Thorne in such a way. But to know that I am important enough to him that the thought of losing me has an effect on him at all . . . well, it just makes me all the more sure that I love him, and he loves me. Sometimes, it's just as simple as that.

"Might as well just own up to it." Thorne shrugs, his old smirk curling onto his lips. Running a hand through his hair, Thorne admits, "I didn't just cry, Sunshine. I sobbed. Meeting you was the best thing to ever happen to me."

I don't know how to respond to that, so I don't. I just wrap my arms around his neck and pull him toward me, kissing him to make up for the fact that there are no words in this world that can explain what I'm feeling right now.

"Yes, yes, we get it," Wells interjects, sounding as disgusted as he looks. "Somehow, Mr. Heart of Stone over here found it in himself to learn how to love. Enough with the PDA, please."

I roll my eyes good-naturedly as Thorne shoves Wells in the chest, muttering something about how Wells is just jealous because nobody loves him.

I find myself checking the time on my phone, unable to believe it's already past ten PM. How did it get so late so fast? Time feels like it just flew by . . .

I look up to find Thorne gazing at me with a knowing expression, somehow reading my mind without me having to say a word. He clears his throat before grasping my hand in his, leaning down to plant a sweet kiss on my cheek.

"Let's get you home, Sunshine."

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: i hope everyone had happy holidays and will have an even happier new year! if you're reading this, i'm incredibly grateful for you. i hope you enjoy reading this story as much as i enjoy writing it! :)💞