Page 186 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

They still came.

I stopped walking for a second, standing there and staring while something warm and devastating bloomed inside my chest all at once—gladness, grief, longing, relief.

Home.

Then Andi looked up.

Her eyes found me instantly.

“Oh my God,” she breathed.

Everyone turned toward me at once.

Andre stopped pacing.

Honey’s hand flew to her mouth.

Mel stood immediately.

And the moment I saw all of them looking at me like I was someone worth waiting for, something inside me completely gave out.

I ran toward them.

Tears came before I even reached them.

Andi caught me first.

The second her arms wrapped around me, I broke apart completely.

A sob ripped out of my chest so violently I could barely breathe through it.

“I’m so sorry, James!” Andi cried immediately, holding me tighter. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“I did the right thing,” I said helplessly. “And it hurts so much.”

“I know,” Andi whispered back.

Then suddenly, the others were there too.

Honey wrapping her arms around my shoulders from my left, Mel pressing close to my right, and Andre pulling all of us in at once like he was trying to physically keep me from falling apart completely.

My knees nearly gave out beneath the weight of it all.

“We’re here now,” Mel whispered beside my ear gently.

“The bravest thing you did, James,” Honey whispered softly. “The best gift you gave to yourself.”

“It hurts,” I repeated.

“I know,” Mel said. “We’re here.”

“We’re never leaving,” Honey added.

“We’ll stay,” Andi said. “I’ll stay. Because I loved you since day one.”

“My forever baby,” Andre added in a shaky voice.

Then his hand cradled the back of my head carefully before he pressed a kiss against my forehead.