Darcey couldn't really describe the events of the past several months. Initially, the shock had been so real that she hadn't really been able to process anything. Even her grief, while still raw and very very palpable, couldn't find an outlet through all the shock. Her own injuries had been pretty severe, which meant she'd had ample time to come to terms with everything; ample time for it all to sink in. When all you had to do everyday was lie around, your mind found ways to wander.
Now, months later, she felt a little more normal. She wasn't fixed of course, not completely, but she was moving forward. Darcey was strong, had always been strong, and she was going to continue to be. Did it hurt that Preston was gone? Absolutely. Did she see it all over and over again almost every night? Of course. But all of that was a burden she could bear. She had to. There was no other alternative. Of course, as if the trauma and grief weren't enough, she also had to deal with what Reed had told her.
Reed.
Darcey couldn't think about him without her heart leaping. She felt wrong for being excited, for feeling like every dream she'd ever had was coming true when her boyfriend and so many others had just died. She and Reed had given each other space, though she suspected it was more on his end than her own. In the time since, she'd forged a surprising bond with Sugar Cook, after the two had bonded over mutual despair. It was Sugar that helped her truly process everything, and to encourage her to pursue whatever might happen with Reed without guilt. The other girl was right, of course. Preston wouldn't have wanted her to be alone just for him.
As she stood in her room now, having changed into the dress she'd bought on their trip today (the tiny strips of sheer lace in front she blamed on Sugar's influence), she heard her friend's voice from the main space. Darcey felt her heart skip at the idea of Reed being mere feet away, and quickly went to smooth over her hair and check herself in the mirror again. She had just finished when Reed and Sugar came in, and her eyes were full of pleased surprise as she regarded him.
"Poor Nadine. Being dragged along on your 'random' walks," she mused, smiling teasingly as she took the flowers. "They're beautiful," she added with a shy look of pleasure.