The bathroom door creaks open, and soft footsteps pad across the floor. Cade keeps me hidden by his massive body and looks over his shoulder to face his friend.
“You look good, Kent. Upright and not threatening my life.”
I’m sure Kenneth gives him the finger because Cade takes one hand off my back to return the gesture.
A moment of silence passes before Cade speaks again. “All good. Just chatting about how I’m never throwing out the toaster.”
Apparently pleased with that answer, Kenneth shuffles back down the hall. Cade drops his eyes back down to me.
“Feeling better?” he asks.
I don’t know what it’s like to have a sibling, but if I had to guess, it would feel a lot like my friendship with Cade. He uplifts me, brags about me, picks on me, pisses me off, and loves me hard. He’s the brother I never had.
“Yeah, I am. I love you, Cader Tot.”
He presses his lips to my forehead. “I love you. Now go take care of your boyfriend before he starts feeling left out.”
When Cade leaves me, my heart clenches at the wasted time I lost keeping Kenneth at a distance. I wonder how different things would be if we started dating freshman year.
Would he have held me after I got a C on my first college exam because I studied the wrong material? Would he have stayed up late helping meprepare to ace everything else to get an A in the class? Would he have taken the day off to hold me on my dad’s remembrance days? Would he have sat with me through endless endocrinologist appointments and meetings and held me while I navigated the new changes in my life?
I smile because he would have. I’m sure of it.
With his food in hand, I knock on his door and push it open. The sick smell is gone, a woodsy candle burning at his bedside. The muscles of his arm bulge as he lifts the trash bag, tying it in a knot before looking at me. I’m staring like a creep, but he’s my boyfriend, so it’s allowed.
“Do you ever worry this will stop someday?” he asks softly.
“What?” I slip off his extra-large slides and set the plate of toast and banana slices on the dresser.
“Us.”
My eyes search for the thermometer, just in case his fever spiked in the shower. “Are you feeling okay? I should take your temperature again.”
“No, that’s not necessary. I feel good. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good. Food poisoning be damned.” Kenneth sits down on the bed, letting out a gentle laugh. “To be honest, I’m not worried about us. The way that I feel about you, Ed, it consumes every second of my life. Wanting you. Needing you. Missing you constantly, even when you’re in the same room. Craving the feeling of your hand in mine. The warmth of your fingers on my skin when you count the freckles on my shoulders. The way that kissing you makes time slow down. I want all the days with you, Eddie. Every single one.”
I cross the room, and he pulls me in by my waist. “Good, because I want all of that too. We will never end, baby.”
His lips quirk up. “That’s a big promise there. You sure you’re okay with that?”
I nod, pushing my fingers into his hair. “Absolutely. You are my copilot afterall.”
Kenneth’s fingers dig into my skin as he sucks in a sharp breath. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly. Easiest decision I’ve ever made.”
Taking my hand, he places a gentle kiss to each knuckle before holding them against his chest. I’m reminded of why I’m so into him when he ends the sweet moment by saying, “Shay’s going to be so jealous. I can’t wait to tell her she’s been replaced. Dethroned. Banished.”
I swat his chest. “You better not! She’s your fellow Guardian of the Blood Sugar. Don’t get on her bad side.”
He kisses my cheek and moves to the dresser. Popping a piece of banana into his mouth he asks, “Will you lie with me?”
I quickly agree, crawling onto the clean, lavender-scented bedspread while he picks at the food.
Once he’s eaten all he can, the mattress dips as he falls onto it, burying his face in my thighs. “First order of business as your copilot, we should discuss your sick day routine. I read that people living with diabetes can have personalized routines. Testing ketones and whatnot.”
And just like that, it’s official. Kenneth is my copilot, and I feel like the luckiest person alive.
By the time he drifts off, my legs are on fire. While he sleeps peacefully, I work to finish my last donation letter for Dr. Martin. I originally was worried working with him would take up too much time, but I have appreciated the distraction. I love asking rich people and companies for money that’ll go to a good cause.
