Arriving back in New York was actually refreshing. I missed our condo and I missed Vina and I's original dynamic compared to the stress Florida put on us due to the new environment, my parents, and my friends. I didn't realize that would've been the outcome or I would've never taken her down there to begin with.

She really freaked me out when she had a full-on panic attack in the airport bathroom, and I'm even grateful that I found her, otherwise she wouldn't have known how to handle it. I couldn't imagine her trying to calm herself down... it made my chest ache thinking about her being alone and trying to figure out what to do next. I hated seeing her cry so uncontrollably—and It was honestly my first time seeing her cry to that extent. It completely broke my heart to see her so torn up over everything, but I knew I needed to appear strong for her.

I wish I could've done more or known this all earlier. I knew the Jade and Jaci situation had to take a toll on her, but she seemed so fine after—well until Sebastian barged into our condo, invading our space completely. Everything that has happened to her is so beyond fucked up, and I hate that I can't do more to stop it all. External circumstances fucking suck, especially when they make you feel out of control.

I thought Florida would've helped since we would be getting out of our old environment and escaping to a new one. The parents' thing sucked, but I imagined the friends' night out would've gone down better with her. I also didn't think her parents were going to come all the way down to Florida to be so mean to her.

Hopefully, everything after this will be smooth sailing because I'm not sure she can take any more, emotionally. I'm seriously concerned at this point... And I'm even beginning to consider whether she should see a therapist or not. I just think this all could be somewhat traumatic for her, and she doesn't deserve to carry baggage that wasn't even hers, to begin with.

I just don't want to freak her out with the idea of therapy or push the idea on her, but then again, I seriously think she should consider it. I think everything else that unfolded before was somewhat traumatic, but her parents showing up is what really seemed to do it. I could relate entirely since my parents seemed to take somewhat of a similar toll on me.

Which, speaking of them, I'm still surprised they communicated their true thoughts about Vina coming home with me. I was also surprised that they stuck up for me and Vina as they did. I think my parents finally saw how much Vina cared for me, and vice versa on my end. They also saw how terrible her parents were, which made them go into parental mode—and that was rarely something I'd witness. But even if my parents could be cold and distant, they would never say something so cruel to someone, especially not to me.

They might've taken things far sometimes, but they never took it any further. They've never taken anything much further, and at least I could say that much about them. They might've never been present, but Jesus, I would take that over them being overbearing and condescending any day. And the fact that her parents wanted to arrange for Vina to get back with Sebastian made my blood boil—even after Vina said he was abusive and that she clearly was into women. I mean what was wrong with them?

Even after how they behaved toward her, Vina seemed worried about her parents. I tried to calm her down by assuring her that they'd come around, which I was sure that they would. I mean, she's their only daughter, and she didn't do anything wrong. They'll realize that, and come back apologizing—and it's up to Vina if she wants to forgive them.

I let out a stressful sigh, unpacking the rest of my stuff. Vina unpacked her stuff rather quickly before meeting Griffin at a place called Yolei's. She invited me along, but I figured their reunion would be better without me present. Besides, she needed to have an honest conversation with Griffin about her thoughts. Right now, I think Vina needs really reassuring people in her life just to help her through this tough stage in her life.

I packed my suitcases away with Vina's in our closet before heading out into the living area. I decided to pull out some cleaning sprays, knowing I should clean up the condo since it's sat empty for a week. I also wanted Vina to feel calm and at home when she came back. I've been contemplating what we could do this week to fill our time and lighten Vina's mood before her semester starts back in a week. I'm also hoping to help distract her from school approaching since I can tell she's anxious about that as well.

I fully wiped down everything, from the kitchen—the living room and dining room—to our bedroom. I cleaned our sheets, vacuumed all the wood floors, and lastly cleaned our bathroom. I made a mental note to run Vina a bubble bath later. Maybe I could light some candles, prep the bath with her favorite scented soaps and bath salts, get a bottle of chilled white wine out, and even make a nice dinner for her to eat after.

I smiled deciding I'd do that tonight, hoping to help her adjust back into our condo in a comfortable manner—and possibly help brighten her mood. With that being said, I checked the fridge for any ingredients that I might need for the dish I'm planning on preparing tonight. Once I pinpointed what I'm missing or what's gone bad, I placed an InstaCart order for the remaining items and numerous other things since I'm planning to make her breakfast tomorrow.

After placing the order for groceries, I make our bed back up with clean sheets and text Vina to see if she's planning on coming back soon. Once she confirms she'll probably be an hour or so, I begin laying out one of my oversized t-shirts for her along with a pair of my sweatpants. I take a satisfying hot shower before I begin setting up the candles around the bathtub, deciding to light them much later. I prep the bath salts and soaps for later, concluding that I'll run the bath when she's closer so it'll still be warm for her. After feeling content with the set-up, I eagerly make my way into the kitchen, ready to cook a nice meal.

Somewhat into cooking, my Instacart order arrives with the rest of my ingredients. I successfully make the delicious homemade spaghetti before putting it on a warm simmer so it can stay warm for Vina. I decide to run her bath since she informed me that her Uber was ten minutes away before I ended up preparing a pan of double fudge brownies.

"Cay?"

I turn around with the bowl of brownie batter, mixing it as my eyes land on Vina. She always looks so effortlessly beautiful. Her long hair is pulled into a high ponytail and her face is bare of makeup while she wears black leggings with a maroon sweatshirt and Nike Airmax's. I swear I could look at her all day and never get bored.

"Hi, baby," I greeted her, walking over to her and pecking her lips.

She smiles slightly at me, "What's all this?" she asked, looking around at what I prepped. "That candle smells heavenly...did you clean?"

I chuckled, stirring the brownie batter some more. "I did clean, and I decided to make dinner for you. I know you like Italian so I made you spaghetti and now I'm making some brownies."

Vina's smile turned into a grin, "Cay, you didn't have to do that."

I smiled harder, "You deserve it," I said, briefly kissing her soft lips again. "You deserve the world."

Vina's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and I could tell she was growing shy. "Thank you."

I sat the bowl of brownie batter down, "Of course," I said, leading her toward our bedroom. "How did it go with Griffin?"

"Good, I told him everything... he seemed really concerned," she said. "He also said I couldn't get rid of him even if I tried. He went as far as to say that If he died, he'd be my ghost bestie."

I couldn't help but snicker at her reiteration, hearing Griffin saying those exact words in my head. Somehow my brain recircled back to Griffin being concerned as well, which makes me feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one. "I'm a little concerned too, Vi."

Vina gave me an unreadable expression as I guided her to our bathroom. I decided to drop the topic for now, knowing that the purpose of tonight is to help her relax.

"You... ran me a bath?" she asked looking between the candles and bubble bath.

I grew a little concerned when her eyes started growing glossy with tears, "What's wrong? Do you not like baths? I'm sorry I didn't—

"No, no it's so sweet. No one's ever done that for me before," she said, blinking away her tears. "Thank you, Cayden. Seriously, you have no idea how much this all means to me."

I smiled, pulling her into a hug. I've always loved how grateful and appreciative Vina is. She never lets the littlest things go unnoticed. "Anything for you."

Vina ends up taking a bath while I finish off the brownies. She later emerges with wet hair and my clothes on, which I can't help but admire. She always looks so good wearing my clothes. Better than me honestly.

We end up eating spaghetti while drinking a small glass of wine and conversing about random topics. Later we end up eating brownies and watching a movie as we cuddle up on our couch together, basking in this comforting moment together.

Halfway through the movie, when I notice Vina growing tired, I suggest we should probably call it a night. I end up cleaning up the kitchen with Vina's help, loading the dishwasher together with Vina handing me the dishes before wiping the counters down and flipping the lights off. Vina and I brush our teeth and wash our faces before sliding into bed, cuddling up together—her back to me as I hold her securely to me.