Page 35 of Shielding Aubree

Aubree looked down at the screen and took a moment to think.

Before the accident, she'd typed those words hundreds or thousands of times, but it was only after the accident that there seemed to be a very poignant meaning to them.

"Aubree?"

She knew that voice.

Knew the feeling she felt when he was near.

She turned and smiled. "Hey."

He looked at her hand and the phone in it. "Are you waiting for your family?"

She nodded, not quite sure if she could trust her voice.

"It's hard to imagine that you're leaving us today."

She had a bunch of things she wanted to say but she couldn't quite find the right one. "I'm... I'm leaving. And I’m a little happy about it."

They both smiled and she had a feeling they were matched pretty well in their reactions.

“In a way I’m sad to see you leave, but in another way…”

"I get it."

He nodded. "I'm sure I sound pretty silly."

"No." She took a step closer, and he matched her, moving closer to her. "I think you sound about as confused as I do."

"Not really confused," he shrugged, "I'm just going to miss you. Seeing you. Talking to you. It's going to be a completely different feeling here when you're gone."

She couldn't help how much she loved his words.

It had been so long since she'd made a real connection to someone and to have it happen during therapy made it feel a little surreal.

"You've got a faraway look in your eyes."

Aubree looked at him and felt her face heat with embarrassment. "I was thinking about what we said to each other that day in the pool. The day that I almost kissed you. I felt like such a fool."

He nodded, smiling. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about," he reassured her. "I wasn't sure how to handle that either."

"It's not something I anticipated happening." She felt her shoulders relaxing as they stood there together. "I just hope that when we go out you don't see it as a huge mistake."

The look he gave her said he thought she was wrong, but he didn't argue.

He reached out his hand and she put her hand in his.

It probably looked like a simple handshake, but she felt his thumb brush against the back of her hand. "I know that when you said yes to giving me a chance… giving us a chance after you leave The Refuge, you were taking a leap into the unknown. I'm going to make sure that you don't regret it."

"I'm just worried that you'll regret it."

Both of his hands closed around hers and he pulled her closer, until they were almost nose to nose.

"Stop. Don't borrow trouble before it happens, because it might not."

A honk turned their heads and Aubree felt happy tears spring up into her eyes. "Dad!"

Ruben watchedas Aubree's family piled out of their SUV.

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