“You do?”
“We don’t talk much about what we saw, but I just want you to know that I ain’t anything like all those guys that hurt you.” He let out a laugh through his teeth and looked back up. “That last one didn’t even look like yer type.”
“When you’re lonely and desperate, anyone’s your type. You can also fool yourself into believing you have a connection with someone who really doesn’t care about you. When I think back on those years with clarity, the obvious was staring me in the face, but I didn’t want to believe it.” I shook my head. “He kept calling me by his ex’s name, and I just thought it was normal.”
“Ouch. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can’t even remember all my ex’s names.” We both chuckled, half-serious. “I’m not gonna leave you. You weren’t meant for that last guy. He was a piece of shit, and he’ll get what he deserves in time. But you know, even though he wasn’t a good guy, if he hadn’t done what he did, you wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be here.”
“We saved each other.” Tears lingered in my eyes as I remembered that vision of him under the tree. “I’m so proud of you, Roscoe.”
“And I’ve always been proud of you. Ever since that day we met, you were someone I could never reach. A solid ten while I was barely scrapin’ the surface. When I got to know you better, I wanted to be someone you could be proud of one day, too. Took me a while, but I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”
“You were, once.”
Roscoe shook his head. “I let him go, Cody. I let that side of myself slip away because it wasn’t a good life. Livin’ out in the wild is hard, and yer always lookin’ over yer shoulders. We were gonna get caught. It was only a matter of time.”
“We’ll find them one day. We’ll get rid of the witches for good.”
“They ain’t evil, just empty. Maybe you can figure out how to Willa-fy ‘em all.”
“Maybe.” I ran my hand playfully along Roscoe’s stomach. “You actually have abs now. You match the drawing on my coffee mug.”
“Ya know, one day it just hit me outta the blue. I don’t need all that crap to make me feel good when I’m wakin’ up next to the best drug I never wanna quit.”
“Well, I’ve never been compared to a drug before, but I’m flattered. Speaking of the bed.” I gave Roscoe a head tilt while eyeing the hallway.
“Aw, come on. I know where this is goin’.”
“Can we at least get a new bed? I can live with the ugly shag carpet and eyesore loveseat but at least let me get us a new bed. We’re going to need a bigger one anyways for when I turn.”
“But the mattress has our smells on it.”
“Yeah. That’s the problem. We’re going to get a nice mattress and a mattress cover to keep it that way.”
Roscoe hummed in contemplation while pulling more groceries out of paper bags.
“I know. It’s a big ask considering I’ve been changing and decorating the house, but all I want in the bedroom is a new mattress. I won’t touch anything else.”
“Promise?” Roscoe asked, looking back at me. “It ain’t like I don’t like change, but I feel like we’ve been changin’ everything too fast.”
“I promise. Plus, you don’t weigh as much as you did, so we’ll get rid of all those lumps you don’t like.”
“I like my lumps!”
“You complain about your back every time you wake up.”
“Yeah, ’cause I sleep on it wrong.”
When I stared at him with my arms folded, he let out a sigh.
“Okay, it’s a little uncomfortable.” He folded the bag and set it off to the side. “Just pick out a nice one, okay?”
I looked down at the counter. “What are you gonna make tonight?”
“I was thinkin’ with all the changes lately, we could have something we ain’t had in a while.”
“Like what?”
Roscoe wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close. “Wanna help me make some baked ziti?”
