The Secret Between Us: Sequel

The cold bite of the California morning air hit you as you stepped out of the Los Angeles International Airport, a stark contrast to the warm recording studio you'd left behind in New York. Your single suitcase felt heavy, a physical manifestation of the exhaustion that settled deep in your bones after the long flight.

You checked your phone again. Still no response from Thomas or Wesley. A knot of disappointment tightened in your chest. Had they really forgotten? On your birthday, no less.

Running a hand through your hair, you sighed, the sound lost in the distant hum of airport traffic. The thought of heading to a hotel crossed your mind, but the knowledge of the life growing inside you, the tiny secret you carried, made the idea feel impossible. You needed to be home.

Fishing through your contacts, you found the one person you knew you could always rely on. Your Appa. As the phone connected, his tired voice filled your ear, a familiar comfort in the unfamiliar stillness of the early morning airport.