My heart was caught in my throat and I felt like I was going to choke on it as the ground tried to fall out beneath me, my knees buckling. I wanted to collapse into a puddle right there on her stoop.
The door opened and Mel careened into me, nearly knocking me over as she gripped me in a painfully tight hug. I hugged her back in silence as she cradled her head against my shoulder, squeezing me fiercely and sniffling lightly.
"Stephan, you big dope," she said, voice cracking with emotion. Then she wasn't hugging me any more and was punching my chest and shoulders hard enough that I had to catch her hands. "You big, stupid, i***t, asshole." Then she was hugging me again before I could say anything. "It's so good to see you, you f*****g moron," she said into my shoulder.
Speechless. I was
