Page 36 of #Beautiful

I lean down to kiss her again, this time soft and quick. “Of course. Be careful, though. Different country, crowded airport.”

Lena pats my chest and smiles. “I will. I’ll be right back.”

I keep my eyes on her while she makes her way across the crowded area to the other side where the bathrooms are. This isn’t the first time I’ve left the United States, but being vigilant when in another country is something my father taught me at a young age. More than likely it’s because he’s campaigned to stop human trafficking, put stricter laws in place for those caught smuggling into the United States— not just smuggling slaves but drugs, guns, just about anything that shouldn’t be here, in his opinion - and when Aiden Harp is passionate about something, it always means Darcy and I are gonna get educated on it.

“She’s lost a little weight since Christmas,” my sister says quietly as she steps up next to me, and I bring my eyes to the baggage claim belt, scanning the endless lin of suitcases and bags rotating around it.

“Yeah, but she’s doing it the right way this time,” I say as Lena’s deep red suitcase comes toward us. I lean over and grab it, setting it between Darcy and I as she leans over and grabs her suitcase, too. “The therapists and all said there’s nothing wrong with her going back to her normal eating and exercise habits. She is still an athlete, Darcy.”

My sister grabs my forearm, squeezing until I look at her. “Declan, I’m not accusing her of anything or being mean. I just want to make sure we’re all still paying attention. I don’t want anything to happen again.”

Sometimes, it’s still hard for me to come to terms with the fact that when Lena first came into my life, Darcy was a bitch. She went out of her way to be mean to Lena. Almost three years later, my sister loves Lena as much as Jackson and Candice, maybe close to as much as I do in her own way. Taking a deep breath, I sigh and nod.

“I know, Darc,” I say, putting my hand on her shoulder. “But if I smother her, she won’t get better. She’s done great being open and honest when she isn’t feeling right and when those thoughts that push her to purge and stuff come back. So, we need to trust her and give her the chance to show us that she can really do this.”

Darcy sighs, too. “I know. Easier said than done sometimes, though, you know?”

“Yeah, trust me, I know.”

Just as I glance back at the conveyor belt, my suitcase comes around so I grab it. Darcy and I turn around, pulling the bags behind us. Jackson is already over by the bathrooms, so Darcy and I head for him. We stand our suitcases with his and Candice’s, and I can’t help but yawn and stretch.

“Where’s Candice?” Darcy says, looking around us.

“Bathroom.” Jackson yawns, too. “Dude, I need a nap. This jet lag is no joke.”

Darcy and Jackson launch into a conversation about whether we should all take a few hours to rest or get food. It isn’t until Candice walks out of the restroom a few minutes later, her brows pulled together in a scowl, that my gut tightens. She meets me eyes and gives me the look - the one that she always gives me, since we met, that says, we need to talk. Before I can try to move to speak privately with her, though, Lena comes out, a smile taking over he face as soon as she sees me.

“Please tell me we can take a nap,” she says, snuggling into my side. “I’m exhausted.”

“See, Lena votes nap, too,” Jackson says, pointing at my fiancée while my sister rolls her eyes.

“Let’s not start a fight,” I say playfully. “How about we go to the hotel, get checked in, let those tired take a nap, and then we can hit the hotel resturanunt for dinner? Mom said it’s amazing and that we can’t miss eating there.”

Darcy rolls her eyes again, but smiles. “Fine. But while you babies nap, I will be at least exploring the hotel.”

Lena lets go of me and loops arms with Darcy. They each grab the handles to their suitcases and head for the airport exit. Jackson follows, and I hang back, slowing to fall in step with Candice. Glancing up to make sure the others aren’t paying attention, I gentle bump her shoulder with mine.

“What happened?”

She doesn’t look at me, but instead, keep her eyes forward. “She was getting sick in the bathroom. I tried to talk to her, but she swears it was the food from the plane. But she went to the bathroom on the plane almost a dozen times during our flight, and before you ask, yes, I counted.”

My gut tightens more. “I’ll talk to her, okay? You know how hard she’s worked to get better. We know there might be hiccups, but we also know we can steer her back to the right path.”

Candice finally brings her eyes to mine, and the wave of guilt that washes through her eyes makes me put my arm around her shoulders. “I don’t want to bury my best friend, Declan. You’re not the only one that loves her.”

Leaning over, I kiss the top of Candice’s head. “I know, hon. I’ll talk to her, and we will both keep a better eye. If stuff keeps looking off, when we get home, we’ll go to my parents or her counselor. We’re not gonna let it get like It was again, okay? I promise.”

She nods against my chest and sniffles before standing up and quickly wiping her face. I don’t want to admit that something could be going on with Lena, but Candice is right about the plane. I counted, too. My gut tells me to be more alert, but the last thing I do is want to upset Lena when I’ve seen how hard she’s worked to get better.

#

Chapter 31 - Lena

This hotel is, without a doubt, the nicest place I’ve ever stayed.

I brushed my teeth and changed into shorts and a T-shirt while Declan got our stuff situated. I’m pretty sure I placated Candice when she came into the airport bathroom and caught me purging. Of course, I didn’t exactly admit that’s what I was doing, but that’s only because I don’t want her worrying. I weighed myself before we left the States and was happy that I’d lost ten of the fifteen pounds I wanted to lose before this trip. There’s not a scale here, but if I can keep the purging up for another day or two, I’ll hit goal, and then the rest of this vacation can just be relaxation and fun.

I’ll still watch what I eat and use the hotel gym. I checked out the amenities online last week, and this place literally has like the mother of all gyms in it. I’m pretty sure I’ve come up with some ideas to ease everyone’s mind on the whole working out thing, at least. Declan is still an athlete, so I plan to start seeing if he wants to workout with me. He won’t be playing football again until next fall, but that doesn’t mean he won’t stay in shape until then. He’s always gone to the gym three or four days a week in the off season. So, if we go together, then I can still keep myself active, and since he’s there, no one will really worry about me going.

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