After the most agonizing five minutes of my life, Jesse returns to me.
My expression must look pretty f*****g grim, because he takes me into his arms as soon as he sees me, resting his chin on the top of my head and murmuring, “It’s okay, Echo. It’s okay. Symone is going to sneak out, then return through the front door to let everyone know she took you home sick with food poisoning.”
I’m barely listening to the lie he concocted; I can’t think of anything but this embrace. I swear, there’s nothing more comforting in the world than the feeling of his arms around me. It’s the farthest possible thing from the way Hunter’s arms made me feel—like I was wrapped in chains.
“Come on,” he says when he releases me. He takes my hand again and leads me away from the road and towards the woods.
I ca
