His throat bobs again, and he looks down into my eyes, so much reluctance present that it’s almost unbearable. “I told you already. I can’t say.”
My gaze volleys between his face and bruised skin. “Did it happen here? At the apartment complex?”
That, he at least answers. “No.”
Okay, well that’s a good sign. Spring Meadows is typically safe, which makes me wonder if he’s in trouble. Is that why he came to me instead of going to Sebastian? It’s the only other reason that makes sense.
I carefully roll his shirt back down. “Tell me what you need from me.”
“That pain reliever would be great right about now.”
“Oh, right.” I dart out of the bathroom, grab them and his water, and hand them over once I’m back in the bathroom. “Here.”
He twists the cap, drops two in his palm, and swallows them down with a big gulp of water. He sighs, and I can’t imagine what he must be going through. Instead of badgering him more about it, I guide him into the bedroom.
I move his bookbag out of the way from where he set it near the door. “Lay down and let the Tylenol kick in. I’ll see if I can find ice packs in the freezer.”
He slips his shoes off. “You don’t need to do that. Laying down will be enough.”
“I’m still going to look. Are you hungry at all?”
“I couldn’t stomach food right now if I tried,” he says, slowly inching his way on my mattress and propping a pillow behind his head.
He looks like he’s meant to be there, like it’s no problem at all for him to rearrange my stuff. I watch with interest as he eases down and gets comfortable, a wince forming on his face that doesn’t leave.
“I’ll be back.”
I find one ice pack buried in the back of the freezer. Then, I remember my dinner on the counter and quickly nuke it in the microwave and scarf it down before heading back to the room.
Colson is in the same spot as before, head leaning back on the headboard when I walk in, eyes closed.
“Found one,” I tell him. “And made a pit stop in the bathroom for a washrag. You can wrap it around the ice pack so it isn’t too cold.”
He lifts his head and watches as I approach the bed with an extended hand. “You do it. I don’t want to hurt you.”
There’s hesitation in his movement as he wraps his hand around it. “This might be a weird request but…lay with me?”
“Of course.” I round the bed and hop up. “If you need anything else, let me know.”
“You being here is plenty.”
I lick my lips, unsure if I should ask the question on the tip of my tongue, then think screw it. If he had the balls to show up like this, then I shouldn’t be afraid to ask. I lay my head on my pillow, looking up at the ceiling. “Why didn’t you go to Sebastian?”
“Probably the same reason you haven’t told your friends what you keep hidden.” The ice pack crinkles when he presses it to his stomach. “Because it wouldn’t do a damn thing but cause more problems.”
“Would you feel worse sharing it with him than by not saying anything at all?”
“Yes.”
I’m intrigued, wanting to know why, but I don’t push it. Knowing he trusts me, a girl he hasn’t known long over his own cousin, fills me with this weird sense of honor.
Before I know what I’m saying, I share the one thing I haven’t dared telling the friends I’ve known for years. “I walked in on my dad with his secretary.”
The mattress shifts next to me, but I don’t dare look over, afraid those eyes will be on me if I do. He doesn’t say a word, and strangely, I appreciate the quiet. He’s giving me a chance to work through my thoughts and figure out what I want to add, if anything.
It’s a courtesy he might not even know he’s offering. I appreciate it an overwhelming amount. If I had shared that same line with Sylvia, she would’ve run her mouth for the next fifteen minutes without letting me get another word in.
“It was my birthday,” I say quietly. My chest pricks with the same ache it felt that day. “We were supposed to get brunch. A tradition that we’ve done for years now. I was there waiting—he’s a business consultant, so he’s often working—anyway, this last-minute meeting came up that he didn’t expect, so he told me we’d have to raincheck.
