Four Months Later

"Are you sure this is how you want to spend your last day here?" Clara asks as she leans against the counter.

I nod, sitting back and resting my elbows on the countertop. I keep my eyes on Nathan as he switches on the LED spotlights to illuminate the microphone. "Yeah. I'm sure. I won't see you guys for the entire summer."

Clara smiles, propping her head up. "So you're done packing?"

A pause. I turn, so I'm facing Clara, giving her a smile. "So are Nathan's siblings coming?"

Clara laughs, but she doesn't press me on how much more I need to pack. "Yeah. They're coming."

Right on cue, the bell above the door goes off. Evan, Jacob, and Audrey file in. They wave goodbye to someone. Probably either Nick or Delilah. The moment the door shuts behind them, Audrey sprints straight for Nathan, throwing her arms around his waist as he stands. He laughs, letting her climb onto his back for a piggyback ride. He weaves through the crowd towards us, nodding to whatever Audrey is telling him.

"Audrey is so annoying," Evan grumbles.

Clara rolls her eyes. "Don't act like you don't love your big brother like she does."

The tips of Evan's ears turn red as he glares down at his shoes. Clara and I glance at each other, identical smiles on our faces. It's hard not to smile when Evan is finally warming up to Nathan. Especially when he tries to act indifferent about it. Reminds me a little bit of Kate. Which, of course, reminds me a little bit of Morgan.

I look at my bracelet, the half of the silver heart glinting in the dim lighting. I wonder if the other bracelet is still where I buried it with Morgan. I can probably check when I go back home for the summer. But for now...

"Hey," Nathan says as he joins us, helping Audrey slide off his back. He eyes my journal on the counter. "You ready?"

I'm about to respond when my phone vibrates. I excuse myself and slip into the back room to answer. It's Hannah. I roll my eyes, but for an entirely different reason now—not that I would've rolled my eyes when she called a few months ago. Back then, I would've thought she was calling to tell me to come home, suspecting that I was about to disappear. But right now, I'm pretty sure she's calling with entirely different suspicions.

"Hello?" I answer, sitting on one of the couches.

"You're leaving tomorrow and you still have a lot to pack," she says.

"I'll get to it when I get home."

"Which is when?"

"Like nine tonight. Maybe. I don't know. I'll let you know."

Hannah sighs. "Okay. Whatever. But if you have to scramble in the morning, that's not on me."

I sit back, crossing my free arm over my chest. "It's fine. You're the one driving me. And you have the day off. So it's not like we have to leave right when we wake up."

Hannah grumbles something about annoying little sisters. The rumbling tapers off into silence, and I feel a shift on Hannah's end of the line. Then she gently asks, "You know you can stay with me for the summer, right? I know you're coming back in the fall for school, but I wouldn't mind having you stay with me no matter how annoying you are."

I roll my eyes, but a smile spreads on my face. "Thanks..." I wait for Hannah to stop laughing before I add, "I think I want to stay with Mom, Dad, and Kate for the summer. It's closer to Morgan, too."

There's no judgment or apprehension or anything in Hannah's voice when she says, "If you're sure." Her voice turns teasing as she asks, "So you don't want to stay close to Nathan?"

If I'm being honest, that is a bit of a downside. In general, I'm going to miss Nathan and Clara when I go back home. If it weren't for them, I never would've even imagined going to Morgan's grave on my birthday. And when we got back to Hannah's house that night, I don't think I would've had the courage to face my family and tell them exactly what's been going through my head since Morgan died. And I don't think I would've been able to hear what's been going through their heads either.

The next day, Mom, Dad, and Kate had to head home. For the next few weeks, Hannah was as overbearing as she's been, especially since Mom and Dad weren't there anymore to tell her to stop. But as the days went on and the more we talked, the more she started letting go and the more she started trusting me and knowing that I wasn't going to or even trying to disappear on her. If anything, I disappeared when Morgan died, but I was starting to come back. Piece by piece, but I came back. And I think Hannah did, too.

So did Nathan for his half-siblings. It took him a while to get past the fact that Evan, Jacob, and Audrey were products of his dad's affair, but once he separated them from what Nick did, it didn't take him long to try and be there for them as much as he could. He still doesn't get along with Nick and Delilah—and none of us expect him to after what they did—but he doesn't let that get in the way of his relationship with his half-siblings and that's the important thing. Now we both have our major trailing stars in hand.

"I'll miss Nathan," I admit, "but I think I'll live without him—and Clara—for one summer."

"If you say so," Hannah says. Her voice turns stern. "But really, you still have a lot to pack, so don't stay out so late."

I roll my eyes right as Nathan walks into the room. He arches an eyebrow at me. I wave him off as I tell Hannah, "I won't, and I'll be ready by tomorrow." Hannah starts to say more, but I'm tired of the conversation, so I talk over her. "Okay. I'll see you later. Bye. Don't wait up. I'm gonna hang up now." I end the call and shove my phone into my pocket as I stand. Nathan laughs, his eyes shining bright like stars. I give him an innocent smile. "What?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing." He holds his hand out. I don't hesitate to slip my hand into his. "It's just nice to see you." He doesn't say it, but I have a feeling he means it's nice to really see me. "Especially since I won't see you for the next few months."

I smile. "I'll text every day. Don't worry. I won't be a trailing star again."

He nods. "I know. You stopped being one months ago."

I squeeze his hand. "So have you. I'm hoping we won't have any from now on."

Nathan's expression turns contemplative. "I think there'll always be trailing stars. That's kind of the point in life."

"To be stressed out?"

He rolls his eyes, laughing softly. "To hope for things and fix mistakes. Things like that."

I scrunch up my face. "Reader/writer differences."

He shakes his head. "You're—"

"Stupid? I've been told."

He squeezes my hand. "I was going to say amazing, but that works, too."

Before I can say anything, both our phones vibrate. We check our messages at the same time, laughing when we see Clara's text: Hurry up and finish making out or whatever you're doing. It's almost six.

Nathan rolls his eyes, tucking his phone away. "Why are we friends with her again?"

For me, it's for a lot of reasons just like I'm sure it's a lot of reasons for Nathan, too. But right now... "Because she encourages us to do things like this."

I bring myself up on my toes, brushing my lips against his. Nathan wraps his arms around my waist, holding me close as he kisses me back. When I break away, he pulls me into a hug, tucking my head beneath his chin. I feel his fingers tangle in the ends of my hair.

"Should we get going?" Even as I ask, I tighten my arms around him. "You have to start the open mic."

He sighs. "I guess." He smiles down at me. "I think I'd rather stay here with you." He gently tugs on my hair. "Not that the red trail seems to go too far."

I smile. "I won't. I'm not your trailing star anymore, remember?"

He nods, giving me one last kiss. "I remember."

He takes my hand, and we step out of the back room together. Clara gives us an amused look, but she doesn't say anything. Especially with Evan, Jacob, and Audrey right there. Nathan squeezes my hand before he makes his way to the microphone. He starts the night like always with his usual speech about how open mic nights work. But instead of being the first person to read a poem, he looks right at me when he asks if anyone else would like to start.

I nod, swiping my journal off the counter. "Wish me luck."

Clara groans. "Why are you turning into Nathan?"

I wave her off as I make my way to the microphone. Nathan smiles at me, his hand brushing mine as he steps out of the spotlight to give me room. I flip my journal open to the page I marked. I let the journal rest on my forearms as I look out at the room. Clara smiles at me while Evan, Jacob, and Audrey watch with undivided attention. Except their attention isn't on me. It's on Nathan.

Instead of standing near the microphone like he usually does when someone else is taking their turn, he makes his way to his siblings. They make room for him at the counter. Jacob says something to Nathan, making him smile. Audrey frowns like she thinks she's the only one that has the right to make Nathan smile. She tugs on his shirt to get his attention. Evan watches, but he tries not to look like he is, his eyes flickering from the floor to Nathan and back. Eventually, he caves and calls Nathan to get his attention.

Coming back piece by piece indeed.

And speaking of which... "This poem is called Piece by Piece.

"Bits and pieces of the night sky
shine brightly,
glistening with stars,
shining with moons,
winking with comets.

Some stay where they are
for lifetimes.
Some disappear after a few years.
Some were never there.

But all were pieces
of the night sky
in one way or another.
All were so far away
but so close at the same time.

Glistening.
Shining.
Winking.
But most of all,
trailing.

Piece by piece,
parts of the night sky
trail each other.
Piece by piece,
they were apart.
Piece by piece,
they come together.

Illuminating the night sky.
Glimmering apart,
but shining together.

No longer trailing.
No longer apart.
But coming together
piece by piece."