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“Unless,” he said after clearing his throat and looking away, “you don’t want to see me again?”
    She smiled and pushed back the guilt tearing through her. “I promise we’ll get together again next semester. Goodbye, Finn, and thanks.” She let herself out of the car and rushed inside as fast as she could, her eyes filling with tears.

    B Y THE time the semester ended and she had taken all of her exams, Naomi couldn’t keep her mind off Jesse. The memory of Finn’s kiss was nothing compared to being with Jesse, and the possibility of failing her classes because she couldn’t focus on schoolwork and studying seemed unimportant. All she could do was count down the days until she drove to the airport to fly home. She avoided the Java Lounge even though her mouth watered for a slice of almond cake. She missed Finn, but if she saw him, she knew she would end up telling him about Jesse. Maybe she could tell him later.
    When the day arrived to leave, she packed her bags, shut off the utilities since Becca was already gone for the next few months, and locked the front door. Her parents would keep up the payments so the landlord wouldn’t rent the house out during the summer, and for that she was glad. She could leave a lot of her things here.
    The flight was long and tedious. She sat next to a man who smelled like leather and kept leaning over to look out her window. She turned on her iPod and cranked up the volume. The song was one of Jesse’s favorites, from a band that had been popular a few years back. There were so many reasons she wanted to see him again. The last time she had seen him was in the courtroom on the day of his sentencing. He had chosen to be there, she kept reminding herself, he had turned himself in. Even so, she had still felt like the entire situation was her fault. He had agreed to a plea bargain and told the judge everything—how he had been the one to pick her up in the parking lot and put her in the car when Eric wanted to shoot her instead, how he had contemplated letting her go and kept talking himself out of it, how he had tried to get her to like him so she wouldn’t want to escape. That was the worst part—knowing most of his motivations were selfish and not driven by his affections for her. In fact, he admitted he hadn’t fallen in love with her until the last few months of her captivity, so all those times he had seemed to want her earlier on ... she didn’t want to think about his motivations then. He had changed. That was what mattered. That was why she couldn’t let go of him now, and one of the reasons why the judge had given him a significantly lesser sentence. He had hurt Evelyn and stolen jewelry, but Eric and Steve had blackmailed him, so how bad was he, truly? He had never hurt her during her captivity, not once. He had protected her, been there for her when she had nothing left. And now he had changed. She doubted many people were capable of that kind of transformation. Even her mother, who had improved a lot since the kidnapping, hadn’t altered so completely. Jesse was strong and had a kind heart, and he loved her like nobody had ever loved her.

    A S SOON as she spotted her mother, she smiled. It was good to be home. The air was warmer here, and more familiar. No matter how long she lived away from home, she would never love the California ocean air any less.
    “It’s so good to have you back,” her mother said as Naomi fell into her arms. She smelled like her shampoo, a flowery scent Naomi had never noticed until after the kidnapping. Of course, there were a lot of things she had never noticed about her mother until after the kidnapping. Her life, it seemed, would always be split into before and after.
    “Are you hungry?” her mother asked, tucking her hair behind her ears. Naomi was surprised it was down, sleek and blonde. She always had it up. “Let’s get your bags and then grab some lunch. Your father said he’d meet us wherever we