"When can I have coffee again?" Beverly asked, drumming her fingers impatiently against the railing of her bed.

Alicia snorted over her own cup of Cynthia's Best!, picking at the label idly. "Puh-lease, Bev. You're going to be out of here in like two more days, and all you can think about is coffee?"

"Griffin makes a really good mocha," she told Alicia firmly.

The other girl laughed brightly, taking a long, teasing sip of her drink, "And don't I know it; he said not to tell you, but he made it with you in mind, so it's 'one of his best,' or something like that."

Of course Griffin would say something like that. Beverly had forced him to go back to work two days after she'd woken up, but he'd only agreed after ensuring that someone else would remain with her at all times while he was gone. Really, it was a wonder that he hadn't locked her inside a castle yet, with how worried he got.

Beverly pouted. "That was so mean—I want one even more, now."

Rolling her eyes, Alicia peeled off the label on the to-go cup, crumpled it in her fist, and then chucked it at Beverly's head, grinning when it hit the girl in the forehead. "I'm telling Griffin!" Beverly joked, chuckling when Alicia pretended to cower in her seat.

"Don't joke about that, Bev. Your boyfriend was so nice when I met him, but he can be scary as hell when he wants to be." The other girl muttered petulantly, setting the cup on the floor by her feet.

"To be fair, you did make me cry."

"Oh, come on!" Alicia threw her arms up in exasperation. "That was not my fault—Deborah was responsible for that."

The mention of her roommate had Beverly asking, "Where is Deb, anyway?"

Alicia sobered, her eyes darting from Beverly's down to the linoleum floor. "She's in a meeting with Mr. Knott, the police, and our dean, I believe."

Beverly winced; that did not sound like a fun situation for anyone to be in, regardless of what they had done. "How bad do you think it'll be?" After all, the girl had been responsible for bringing drugs onto campus; Beverly had a feeling they wouldn't be going too easy on her.

Alicia leaned back in her chair with a heavy sigh, clasping her hands together and settling them on her stomach. "Honestly? I don't know. On one hand, she came clean and handed over a shitload of evidence to help bring down the whole ring and everyone involved; on the other, she was knowingly part of said ring, and part of the reason our student population went sideways."

"So, pretty bad, then." Beverly mumbled, her eyes downcast and her heart aching for Deb. Yes, the girl had made some severe mistakes, but she'd also been dealt a hard lot in life, and it didn't seem fair to give her a horrible punishment.

Noticing Beverly's sudden sadness, Alicia leaned forward and snatched up Beverly's hand, her features comically alarmed. "We don't know that! Oh, God, please don't start to cry again. Griffin almost murdered me last time."

"Alicia," Beverly rolled her eyes dramatically, waving the girl off, "I won't start to cry again, don't worry. I am nervous, though."

Nodding in understanding, Alicia settled back in her chair. "I don't blame you. This whole thing is one giant mess. Honestly, we're just lucky it happened over break. How would you explain all of this to a professor?"

Beverly tried for a chuckle (as much as she could, anyway—her stomach was acting like such a bitch, honestly). Sure, maybe some things weren't as good as they could be, but sitting with Alicia, Beverly was reminded that she was alive, Griffin was okay, and—hopefully—no more drugs would be screwing up her campus.

"I'm not sure I'd even try." She wiggled against the bed absentmindedly, trying to find a more comfortable position, and Alicia jumped from her seat.

"What do you need?" the girl asked. "Do I need to adjust your pillows? Water? Food? A serenade?"

Beverly snorted loudly. "Oh, wow, Alicia—Griffin really does terrify you, doesn't he?"

The other girl tried to look unaffected, but her eyes reflected a comical amount of fear at the mention of the man. "Shut up!" she snapped when Beverly wheezed out a chuckle, flopping back into her chair. "It's not funny!"

"It's pretty funny," Beverly retorted, clutching her side when her injury acted up again. God, but she couldn't wait until she was able to laugh (or do anything, really) without being in pain.

They settled into silence for several moments, before Beverly tried to get one last jab in. "In all seriousness, servant, I do need my pillows fluffed."

***

Beverly watched through a crack in her eyes as Deb tried (and failed) to keep her tears at bay. She was staring at the wall of the hospital room as though it had murdered her dog, and her chin kept wobbling—really, Beverly was surprised the tears glistening in the girl's gaze hadn't fallen yet.

"Would you say something instead of staring at me like some kind of creep?" Deb snapped abruptly, turning her fiery gaze onto Beverly.

Said girl raised one hand in a sign of surrender as she opened her eyes all the way. "Sorry," she apologized. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to pretend that I didn't see you crying; I know you have a reputation to protect." It was a joke, of course. Deb did have a reputation, but Beverly wasn't going to say anything about it either way.

Deb rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I'm fine."

Beverly scoffed derisively. "I didn't ask, but we both know that's a lie."

"It's not a—"

"Deb." Beverly cut her off firmly, and her roommate slumped down into her seat, looking like a scolded child. "What happened?"

"I should be thanking you and Mr. Knott," Deb confessed, her tone soft with shame. "If it hadn't been for you and him, I'd probably be getting blasted off the face of the planet."

Beverly's brows furrowed. "I don't understand—what was your punishment?"

"Well," Deb kicked her boot-clad feet onto the side of the bed, throwing her head back against the wall and staring at the ceiling sullenly. "First, they wanted to expel and blackball me so I would never be able to find a school or job again, but Mr. Knott said—since I ended up going to the cops and handing over so much evidence—that sentence was too harsh. So, after discussing it for hours and hours, they finally agreed on something."

"And . . .?" Beverly prodded, her stomach twisting into nervous knots. She and Deb hadn't exactly gotten along in all their time as roommates, but she truly didn't want to see anything bad happen to the other girl.

"And I will be leaving the campus 'as soon as conveniently possible,' which means, 'Get the Hell out, you disgrace.' On the bright side, they won't be marking my permanent record; as far as any other schools know, I chose to leave on my own accord."

Deb didn't seem to care for the decision, if her glare at the ceiling was any indication, but Beverly was immensely relieved. "Thank the Lord," she muttered. "I was so worried."

Deb pulled her head down to meet Beverly's gaze, and the normally closed-off girl managed a tight but genuine smile. "Thanks, Beverly. I know this could have ended badly for you, and I, uh," she cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably in the seat. "I just . . . just, thanks."

Beverly grinned brightly, knowing exactly how significant it was for Deb of all people to speak to her in such an honest manner. "I'd say 'any time,' but I wouldn't mean that. You're welcome, of course, but let's not do this one again, okay?"

Deb's smile grew slightly, until it resembled less of a grimace. "Yeah. Okay."

The whole mess wasn't ideal, but Beverly was beginning to think that things were looking up; perhaps everything would work out fine, after all.

***

Griffin's greeting when he walked in after work several hours later was a cool, "Deborah."

The girl stood from her seat smoothly, but Beverly didn't miss the trepidation in her eyes.

Geez, she thought with wide eyes, Griffin must've really scared her.

Deb shot Beverly a swift nod and a quiet, "See you, Beverly—don't do anything idiotic." Beverly wasn't even surprised; leave it to Deb to throw in a final sarcastic comment, even when the girl was uneasy.

And then Deb was gone, leaving Beverly with her favorite giant. "Work okay?" she asked as Griffin took a seat on the side of the bed, his head and torso angled towards her, one of his hands tracing along her shoulder and collarbone.

"Would've been better if my favorite customer had been there," he teased with a gentle smile, his tense frame relaxing when Beverly snatched up the hand on her shoulder and pressed her lips to his knuckles.

"Keep my mocha ready for me and I'll be back before you know it." She returned with a bright grin, tightening her grip on his hand and pressing it against her cheek.

Griffin didn't reply, his eyes trained on their clasped hands as though a glance away would prove the sight to be a cruel illusion.

"I'm okay," Beverly murmured, her voice barely audible. "Really."

He nodded once, but the movement was stilted, as though it took all of his strength to complete the action. "You're not okay," he told her after a moment, the words laden with sorrow. "You're getting better, but . . ." Griffin trailed off, squeezing her hand until the pressure was almost uncomfortable.

"I will be okay, then," Beverly amended carefully. "I get out in just a couple of days now, remember? I'm on my way to being back at one hundred percent, and then I can get back to doing the things I do best."

Her lighthearted words managed to pull a half-smile from him, but his hazel gaze never left their hands, though. "Right. Cynthia wanted me to ask where you're going to be staying. The police still have your dorm cordoned off, and I know Deb's no longer at your school."

Beverly blew out a forlorn sigh. If she was being honest, she'd put off thinking about her living situation. The college was offering her a dorm she could live in by herself till the end of the spring semester, but she didn't fancy the idea of living alone (being kidnapped and suffering from a gunshot wound could do that to a person, she supposed).

"Judging by the look on your face, you don't know what to do." Beverly snapped from her thoughts at Griffin's words, and she shot the side of his face a playful glare when she saw the smirk lighting his features. It wasn't much, but at least he was in a bit of a joking mood.

"Think I can become a hermit?"

He finally pulled his eyes from their hands, only to roll them fondly at her. "I'm sure you would be a lovely hermit, Peach, but Cynthia wanted me to tell you that you're welcome to stay at her house, if you'd like." It was easy to tell that Griffin found the idea preferable, no doubt because he could keep a closer eye on her and take comfort in the fact that she would be safe inside Cynthia's large home.

"Really?" Beverly asked, "Is she sure? It would probably be until the end of the spring." There was no way she would be able to figure her living situation out until after the spring semester ended.

"She's sure, Beverly. She said it's the least she can do after what happened, and she's really hoping you'll take her up on it."

"Well, who am I to crush her dreams?" Beverly joked before sobering. "In all seriousness, that's really kind of her to offer. It would make me feel better to live with someone, if I'm being honest."

Griffin's grin was wider then, and he bent to kiss her softly. "It'll make all of us feel better, I think," he murmured against her lips. "Between the two of us, Cynthia and I might actually manage to keep you out of trouble."

Beverly chuckled lightly, pulling him down for another kiss and smiling against his lips when he practically melted into her touch. She shifted her kisses from his mouth to his cheek, before following the line of his jaw up to his ear, grinning when he shivered at her touch. After a moment, Griffin fell beside her completely, his long body taking up the entire bed but providing the perfect pillow.

"I like this," Beverly yawned into the crook of his neck. "You're better than a normal body pillow for sure."

Griffin snorted at her words, but his reply was soft when he muttered, "Everything's going to be okay; you know that, right?"

Did she know that? Tucked against him, safe from the world and any drug-dealers looking to kidnap her and beat her up, Beverly smiled.

Yeah, she knew that.

***

A/N: Oh, dear, my heart's melted due to cuteness. 

Ah, well; I suppose it comes with the territory of writing romance, *le sigh*

Stay fresh, peeps,

A. R.