Dodge had been gone for almost a year after the end of Panic. He was twenty now, with no college education but a whole country — literally — of experience. He was just trying to figure out where he belonged, what he could do with his life. He’d been tied down for so long that he never even knew what it felt like to be free.

The world exploded the day you heard from Dodge’s mom that he was on his way back to Carp. You had missed him so much it almost felt like he’d died and you were grieving. You had barely any contact with him after he left — hell, he rarely even talked to his mother anymore. The only person who he made sure to check up on consistently was his sister Dayna.

You heard the motorcycle rev from a block or so down. You perked up for a second, thinking maybe you were just hearing things. But it got closer, and then you threw down whatever you’d been holding in your hands, and bolted out the front door of your house. Dodge stepped off his bike the moment you stepped onto your front porch. He smiled at you as he took off his helmet and roughed up his hair. Flipped his sunglasses on top of his head. You bolt down the stairs, the driveway, and jump into his arms.

He laughs as he catches you and holds you tight. He’d missed you more than anyone. “I can see me leaving wasn’t too hard on you,” he jokes.