Page 29 of #PhiThetaForever

My eyes fly open to Jackson way closer than her needs to be, shaking my shoulders hard enough to give me whip lash. "Oh-my-gosh, man. I'm awake."

"Yeah, well, we've been trying to wake you up for twenty-minutes. Almost started to think you died. Time to get off the plane now."

I unbuckle my seatbelt and stand, stretching my arms over my head and yawning. My shoulders pop and I sigh in appreciation. First class is wonderful, but falling asleep sitting up is still uncomfortable regardless of how nice the leather seats are. Justus and Jackson grab mine and Candice's bags and walk in front of us. We've only got one suitcase each to grab from the luggage area, so hopefully we can be home soon. We've got class tomorrow, and I have way too many notes to brush up on. Fall semester is literally almost over already.

Walking through the airport from the loading area, I look up to see some strange looking kid holding a bouqet of roses and a sign that reads 'MAGDALENA HARRISON'. My brows knit together as I walk over to him, stopping a few feet away. When he looks up and sees me, he smiles and takes a step forward. "Are you Magdalena?"

"Uh . . . yeah. Do I know you?" I rock back on my heels.

He laughs lightly. "No ma'am, but I was asked to deliver these to you." He steps forward and holds out a dozen red, long stem roses, wrapped in a metalic silver wrapping, with a card in the center of them.

"Thanks," I say, adjusting my bag to hold the roses and reach for the card. The kid walks off before I can ask him any questions. Like who sent these? How did he know what terminal I'd be coming in at? Why do these things smell so good?

"What's that, Lena?" Candice says leaning around me to smell the flowers. "Mmmmm, I love the smell of roses. They'll look good on the table."

Chuckling, I pull the card out and finally look at it. I know the handwriting before I read the words, and my eyes start watering. I'm vaguley aware of a hand on my lower back but I don't care. I reread the card a dozen times.

I will spend the rest of my live making this up to you. I love you, baby. - Declan

I take a deep breath and can't stop myself from bringing the card to my lips. Declan Harp has a lot to fix. A LOT. And it's going to take more than a dozen of my favorite roses. But this type of random kindness is very much the old Declan, and that gives me just the smallest sliver of hope. I glance over my shoulder to Justus, a smirk on his face. A gigle and slide the card into my back pocket.

The four of us head to baggage claim, and even though I'm not ready to see or talk to Declan, I appreciate the flowers. God doesn't teach us to be rude or ungrateful, no matter how angry we may be at someone, so while we're watching the convayor belt, I take out my phone.

Me: Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful.

Declan: You're welcome. I love you.

Me: Declan . . . I love you, but I need time.

Declan: I know I have to earn your trust and prove to you that I'm going to fix this. All I'm asking is that you give me the chance to do that.

Me: Okay. Last chance, Declan Harp. I can't do this again if you mess up this time. I still need time . . . please get better, Declan.

Declan: I love you, Lena.

I blink back the tears and put my phone back in my pocket just a Justus grabs my suitcase. He stops in front of me and wipes a tear from my face. "One day at a time, Lena. He has to take this one day at a time, and so do you."

I nod and lean my head on his shoulder as we walk out of the airport to find his car that's been parked here for five days. I can only imagine how big the bill for parking is going to be. But thankfully, in a little while I'll be back in my dorm facing the last two weeks before finals. Which right now, is less stressful than fully facing my personal life.

31 Declan

Justus and Jackson were both waiting for me when I came out of the shower this morning. I've got twenty minutes to get to class, so they better make this quick.

"Declan, hell or high water, we're both going to help you get through this." Justus leans forward and rests his forearms on his knees.

"Right," Jackson says coming to sit in this favorite recliner next to me. "And we're going to help Lena too, but you need to take it really slow with her."

My brows pull together in confusion. "What?"

Jackson sighs and sits up straighter. "The flowers were a nice idea. You should have seen her face. I think that was the first ray of hope she's had in days. But I can see it in her eyes, Declan. She's hurting worse than we've ever seen her. She's just gotten better at hiding it."

My chest aches at his words. It was painful when I met Lena, to watch the hurt the shooting caused her. But it wasn't something I caused. I was just there loving her through it. The hurt and devastation she's feeling now . . . I caused that. Which makes this suck 100 times more than normal. "I'm doing everything I can to get back where I should be, Jackson."

"I know, bro. Just don't get angry or upset if she shuts you out for awhile. I think you're going to have to prove to Lena that this is for real and that you're not going to just run back to Sigma Nu as soon as Bo starts texting your phone."

"I can do that. I can prove this to her."

Jackson stands with a smile on his face, holding his fist out toward me. "Good. Because the best friend I know, wouldn't let the Apocalypse stop him from getting his girl back. And it's about damn time that you pull your head out of your ass."