"Yeah?" I cocked a brow and sprawled out at the end of her bed. "Well, there's regular comfort and then there's old folk's home comfort..."

"Hey, if you're too cool to hang out with my geriatric-clad ass, then you should probably rethink this whole friendship gig," she quipped, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Because, contrary to every other girl that runs in your circle at school, I don’t dress to impress the male student body."

I grinned. "Nerd."

She smirked back at me. "Douche."

I shook my head, still smiling. "So, these are your new digs." I looked around her bedroom, taking everything in. "Nice."

"It's okay," she agreed breezily, casting a quick glance around her purple themed bedroom. "It's better than bouncing between hospital wards and hotel rooms."

Pain hit me straight in the solar plexus, making it hard to breathe.

"That's how it was?" My words were gruff and mixed with a combination of guilt and curiosity. "When you were gone?"

"Yep. Pretty much." Releasing a heavy sigh, she pulled her knees to her chest. "I spent the first eighteen months after the fire in and out of the burn unit. Afterwards, when I was well enough, I traveled with Dad. He moved around a lot for work." Another small shrug. "This is the first permanent address I've had since we left."

Jesus.

"Y'all didn’t settle down anywhere?"

She shook her head. "Never for longer than a few months. After a while, I couldn’t take the constant traveling anymore. I wanted to go home, and Ocean Bay was home, even though Dad really didn’t want to come back here." She waved a hand around aimlessly. "Hence his glaring absence."

Well, shit.

"You spend a lot of time alone in this house?"

"Most of the time," she confirmed. "I mean, Dad comes and goes, but his grief –" Her breath hitched and she chewed on her lip for a long moment before continuing, "Let's just say he's still struggling with his demons, and I'm a blatant reminder of trauma he would rather avoid than deal with."

I wanted to ask what about her demons, but I knew I had lost the right to ask those questions. So, instead, I didn’t say a word. I just stayed, hoping that was enough in the moment.

The Fray's Look After You drifted up from the party downstairs, and I felt the words deep in my bones. The more I looked at her, the more my heartrate spiked, and I knew that I was feeling too damn much in this moment than was safe for me.

"Daryl?" Molly pulled herself onto her knees, looking both anxious and serious now. Her brown eyes were full of wariness and a sprinkle of…hope?

I sat straight up, turned to face her, and gave her my full attention.

"I've missed this." She chewed on her bottom lip, looking up at me with big, innocent, trusting eyes. "I've… missed you."

"Yeah, Molls –" my heart jackknifed in my chest and I had to clear my throat before I could speak, "I've missed you, too."