“Bryan helped me.He said I needed to stop thinking of them as ghosts but as people.”He came over and stared at his parents.“Though he was mad when I wanted a photo of my dad.”
“Sounds like him.He was the most against you staying by your dad’s side when he was passing.”
“I’m glad I did,” he said softly.
“Me too.”
He cleared his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he turned to his bed.“You can take the right side.It’s clean.I promise.”
“You’ve been hanging around Seth too long.That sounds exactly like something he’d say.”
He chuckled and crossed the room.He dug in a drawer before turning to me.“Then I’ll take that as a compliment.Here, comfy clothes.”
“Thanks,” I murmured and quickly went to the bathroom and changed.The clothes were obviously too big for me, but they’d do for the night.Maybe I was going to need to keep an overnight bag in my car for moments like this.
When I went back into his room, he was pulling the blankets down.“Ready?”
“Yeah.”I suppressed another yawn.Once my body realized sleep was right around the corner, the yawning started hitting me.
I slipped under the covers, my pulse still unsteady from everything that had happened that week.Justin settled in beside me, the bed dipping under his weight, his movements quiet and deliberate.For a while, neither of us spoke.
I watched the light from the window stretch across the ceiling, moving slowly as the minutes passed.
“You don’t have to talk,” he said finally, voice low.“But if you want to, I’ll listen.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I admitted.“It’s all so heavy.”
He nodded.“Then don’t start.”He reached over and pulled me against his chest.“Just be here.”
The understanding in his tone unraveled me and the feel of his warm body against mine eased the last bit of tension in me.I turned into him, and in the darkness, his face was closer than I’d realized.
His eyes met mine, searching.“You’re shaking,” he murmured.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, even though I wasn’t.
He reached up, brushing a tear from my cheek with his thumb.“You don’t have to be.”
That simple truth undid me.I leaned forward before I could think, pressing my forehead against his.
He didn’t move, didn’t rush, just breathed with me until our breaths synced.And then, slowly, gently, he kissed me.
His kiss didn’t demand or promise anything.It was soft and slow, a small reminder that he was there with me.And the two of us were real.I returned it with the same energy, enjoying the moment for how simple and sweet it was.
When I pulled back, he didn’t ask for more.He just wrapped his arm around me and drew me close against his chest.
I listened to his heartbeat for a long time.It was steady and calm, so unlike mine.
He kissed the top of my head, and I felt his smile against my hair.“You aren’t alone.Please, just remember that.I’m here with you right now.”
The room went quiet again, save for the soft hum of the heater and our breathing falling into rhythm once more.I slowly fell asleep and for the first time in weeks, I slept without dreams.
