The drive home was quiet, but it wasn't the kind of silence that felt awkward. It was the kind that settled between them like a blanket—warm, easy. The city lights blurred past, the hum of the tires on the road the only sound between them for a while.

Melina leaned her head against the window, her body still catching up with the fact that she was finally here, next to him. Tucker's hand rested on the gear shift, and every few minutes, his fingers would twitch like he wanted to reach for her.

She smirked, glancing at him. "You can hold my hand, you know."

Tucker scoffed, but his grin gave him away. Without hesitation, he reached over, fingers lacing with hers like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Better?" he asked, squeezing lightly.

"Much," she murmured.

—

By the time they pulled up to the house, Melina was barely keeping her eyes open. Tucker shut off the engine, then turned to her, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand.

"You wanna shower first, or you just crashing?"

She hummed, considering. "I should shower."

Tucker chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt. "You should."

Melina gasped, shoving his shoulder. "I don't stink that bad."

"I never said that—"

"You implied it!"

He laughed, shaking his head as he grabbed her bags from the back. "Come on, rockstar."

—

Inside, everything felt exactly the same, but somehow better. Her favorite blanket was still draped over the couch. One of Tucker's hoodies was thrown over a chair. A half-empty mug of coffee sat on the counter, long gone cold.

It was home.

Melina exhaled, kicking off her shoes while Tucker disappeared into the bedroom to drop her bags. She made her way toward the bathroom, already peeling off her hoodie when she heard him call out—

"I got something for you."

She froze mid-step, then turned around. "What?"

Tucker reappeared, hands behind his back, biting back a smile. "It's dumb."

She crossed her arms, amused. "Lemme see."

With a dramatic sigh, he pulled his hands forward, revealing—

A tiny, stuffed pigeon.

Melina blinked. "Is that—?"

"You were in New York," he shrugged. "Figured you needed a little piece of it here."

It was ridiculous. It was so dumb.

And she loved him for it.

Biting her lip to keep from grinning too hard, she took it from his hands, inspecting the little guy. "What's his name?"

Tucker squinted. "Uh... Greg?"

She snorted. "Greg?"

"Yeah, Greg the Pigeon. He looks like a Greg."

She shook her head, placing the stuffed bird on the counter. Then, before he could react, she grabbed his hoodie and tugged him in, pressing her face into his chest.

Tucker's arms wrapped around her immediately, like he'd been waiting for this. "Missed me that much, huh?"

Melina just nodded against him, her grip tightening. "Yeah."

His hand found the back of her head, fingers threading through her hair. "Me too."

They stood there for a while, just holding each other, breathing each other in. Eventually, Tucker kissed the top of her head, murmuring against her hair—

"Go shower before I do start implying things."

Melina groaned, shoving him away as he laughed, dodging her swats.

"Welcome home, Mel," he grinned.

And for the first time in weeks, she felt it.

She was home.