"Welcome back, sir."
Franklin barely heard the chauffeur as he stepped off the private jet. The sound of his shoes hitting the tarmac felt distant, like he was moving through water instead of air.
His body was here, but his mind was somewhere else, stuck on a familiar voice, a familiar presence he hadn't shaken off since leaving Atherton.
His hand went to his phone almost automatically.
'I'm back.'
He stared at the message for a second before sending it, his thumb hovering like he might change his mind.
A reply came quickly.
'Alright. I'll have someone deliver the food to you.'
His chest tightened in a way he didn't expect.
He read it again. And again, a part of him silently wishing she would bring it to him. He let out a quiet breath through his nose and locke
