I’ve been dreading this. Even though Audrey and Sofia were constantly with me in the hospital, it’s an entirely different thing to actually live with strangers who are supposed to be family. In reality, they feel about as familiar as the doctors and nurses who milled about the hallways during my stay, coming in and out of my room to bring me medication and rouse me from my sleep.

Sofia pushes open the front door, and I follow her inside.

Immediately as we enter, a barking dog bounds in my direction, and my pulse kicks into gear. The animal, a black and white border collie, jumps onto my legs, growling maliciously, and Audrey scrambles to grab its collar, easing it away.

“I’m sorry!” she exclaims. “Scout isn’t your biggest fan but she’s usually better than this.”

“Audrey.” Sofia chastises her. “I told you to take Scout outside before we left.”

“Parker must have let her in.”

Audrey looks at me apologetically as she struggles to wrangle the animal, expression sincere. She’s older by a couple of years, but I’ve been told we were often mistaken for twins when we were young. Now, I seem to favor our mother more than she does, bearing the same slender nose and defined cheekbones.

Sofia takes hold of Scout’s collar and pulls the dog to the French doors, releasing her into the backyard. A boy scrambles into the kitchen, looking flustered. His features are kind, and he has black hair a few shades darker than his skin cropped close to his head.

“This is my boyfriend,” Audrey explains. “He’s living with us for the time being, until he finds his own place.”

He extends a hand toward me. “Parker. My apologies for the dog.”

My shoulders melt in relief. He’s the first person who hasn’t been obviously uncomfortable about having to reintroduce themselves to me. “Nice to meet you,” I say, shaking his hand, before adding, “again.”

“It’s good to have you back,” Parker says.

I’ve heard a lot about him already—he was the subject Audrey gravitated toward to keep the flow of conversation going whenever we hit a lull, but he never came with her to the hospital. Parker watches me for a beat too long, and my face grows hot under his scrutiny.

Sofia touches my shoulder, oblivious to the exchange. “Come, I can show you around.”

Leaving them behind, she gives me a brief tour of the house. It’s cozy and lived in, family photos adorning the walls, throws draped over couches, and comforting tones of burgundy spread throughout the rooms. In a way, it feels a bit like a cabin, woodsy and warm. She saves my bedroom for last, stopping outside of a door at the end of the hall on the second floor. The short journey up the stairs is enough to make my body feel weary.