I pull back just enough to see his face. "Do you want to go with her?"
His jaw flexes. "I wanted to. But she told me not to. Said she doesn't want to make it a big deal. That she'd rather go alone and call me the moment she gets the results." He tries to smile. "You know Sam. She hates being fussed over."
"Oh, absolutely," I say, shaking my head. "If we insist on going with her, she'll purposelyavoidthe appointment just to prove a point."
That earns a more real laugh from him—small, tired, but there.
He leans forward again, his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me right against him like he needs the contact to breathe. His face tucks into the crook of my neck, warm and sad and relieved all at once.
"I'm so glad you're here," he whispers, voice muffled against my skin. "So damn glad."
I close my eyes, hugging him back just as tightly.
"Me too," I breathe. "Always."
Zach pulls back a little, sniffing, and that's when his eyes narrow at my hoodie.
"Wait." He leans back, squinting at the faded fabric. "Is this... mine?"
"Uh—maybe?"
His brows shoot up. "Babe..."
I sigh, cheeks bursting into flames. "Okay, yes. It's yours."
"When did you—?"
"A long time ago," I mutter, tugging on the sleeve. "You had an away game that was too far for me to go. And there was this really awful thunderstorm that night and... I couldn't sleep. You weren't there to talk me through it, so I may or may not have... broken into your room and stolen your favorite hoodie."
His mouth drops open.
"And then," I add, quieter, "instead of giving it back, I kept it. Because I wore it every night there was a storm. It... helped."
For a second, he just stares at me.
Then he grins—slow, wide, devastating—and says, "Wow. You were really down bad for me, huh?"
My jaw drops. "I was not."
"Yes, you were." He wiggles his fingers threateningly. "Admit it."
"No—Zach—don't—!"
He lunges and tickles my side. I shriek, half-laughing, half-trying to smack him as I curl into myself.
"Say it," he teases. "You were down bad."
"Never!"
He keeps going until tears gather at the corners of my eyes from laughing.
I shove at his chest, breathless. "You're impossible."
He's still smiling when something shifts in his expression. His eyes drop to my hand.
"What happened?" he asks sharply.
I look down at the angry scrape across my palm. "Oh. That."
