“Perfect.” I hand back the mirror with a smile. “Thank you so much.”

Disobeying Julian seems to agree with me. Looks-wise, at least.

I still have some time to kill before meeting Leah and Jennie, so I go all out and get a mani-pedi at the same salon. In the middle of the pedi, my phone dings with an incoming message from Julian.

You’re still there? he texts. Thomas says it’s been almost two hours.

Getting nails painted, I respond. How are things with you?

Probably not as colorful as with you.

I grin and put my phone away. This all feels so wonderfully normal, even with the oversight from Thomas. It’s like we’re just a couple, with nothing dark and messed up in our lives.

Impulsively, I fish my phone out of my purse again.

Love you, I text, adding a smiley face at the end for emphasis.

There’s no answer, but I didn’t expect any. Julian would never acknowledge his feelings for me—whatever those may be—in a text. Still, my heart feels just a bit heavier as I put the phone away and pick up a gossip magazine instead.

Half an hour later, I’m as polished and shiny as the models in the magazine. My hair streams down my back in a smooth, glossy curtain, and my nails are prettier than they’ve been in months. Adding a generous tip, I pay and exit the salon, ready for the continuation of my day.

As expected, Thomas is waiting for me outside. I don’t see any of the others from the security team, but I know they’re there, guarding me from out of sight. Still, their lack of visible presence adds to the illusion of normality, and my spirits lift again as we drive to the seafood restaurant where Leah and Jennie agreed to meet me for lunch.

They’re already there when I walk in, and the first few minutes are filled with hugs and excited exclamations over how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other. I had been afraid that things might be tense with Leah after our last run-in at the mall, but my worries appear to have been unfounded. With the three of us together, it’s like our high school days all over again.

“Oh gosh, Nora, I’d forgotten how beautiful you are,” Jennie exclaims when we’re all seated. “Either that, or living in the jungle is agreeing with you.”

“Why, thank you,” I say, laughing. “You look pretty great yourself. When did you decide to go red? I love that color on you.”

Jennie grins, her green eyes sparkling. “When I started college. I decided it was time for a change, and it was either red or blue.”

“I convinced her to go red,” Leah says with a mischievous smile. “Blue wouldn’t have matched her Irish complexion.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I say with a straight face. “I hear smurfs are all the rage lately.”

Leah bursts into laughter, and Jennie and I join in. It feels so good to be back with the two of them. I’ve hung out with Leah a couple of times since my abduction, but I haven’t seen Jennie in almost two years. She was studying abroad when I was home for those four months after the warehouse explosion, so we’ve never gotten a chance to reconnect beyond a few Facebook messages.