After what seemed like eons, he returned to the main part of the room, fully dressed, with damp, tousled hair that made my heart ache.He looked so vulnerable and delicate, his forehead creased with concern.
“Do you think I’m making the right call?”he said.“What if this makes me feel worse?Or, what if it makes Elijah feel worse?What if he’s sleeping, and I wake him up?”
“Puck—”
“Maybe I should just wait and see him when I get home.”
I was silent for a moment and then put my words together very carefully.
“I think…that Elijah will probably be very glad to hear from you.”
Puck nodded, avoiding my gaze.“But what if I say all the wrong things?I’m no good at this stuff, Oliver.”He picked up his phone and turned it on.Then put it to sleep and returned it to the table.“Fuck.I don’t know.”
I stood from my chair, going over and pulling him against me, holding him tight to give him what encouragement I could offer.His arms wrapped around me in an automatic gesture that made me disproportionately happy.
“You’ll do fine.He’ll be glad to hear your voice.”
Puck nodded and took a deep breath.“Right.”
I released him and grabbed my keys.“I’ll be back in a half hour.Make yourself at home.”
I took hold of the doorknob.
“Wait.”
“Yeah?”
He stood where I’d left him, in his ripped jeans shorts and the LEGO Star Wars shirt.
“Can—can you stay?”
“Yeah, sure.Of course.”I was stunned he’d asked.But I would do anything he wanted.
“Okay,” he said, appearing relieved.“I need…moral support.Or something.Or someone to help if I start to panic.”
“Sure,” I said.“I can do that.”I put my keys back on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed.
Puck nodded.“Okay.All right.”
He picked up his phone again, staring at it with trepidation.“Oh, God, why am I so nervous?”
“It’ll be all right.”
“Jeez, I hope so.But what if he’s pissed that I took so long to actually call and talk to him?”
I grinned.“Well, in a way, that would be a sign that he’s well enough to get pissed with people.Right?”
Puck shrugged.“Yeah.Maybe.But how will I explain?”
“Hey, it’s okay to admit you were scared and full of feelings you didn’t understand.It would be better for him to know that his situation affected you strongly than for him to think you don’t care.”
Puck nodded soberly.“Idocare.Of course, I fucking care.Ihatethat this happened.If he’d just listened to me when I’d told him—”
“Yeah.He probably realizes now that he should have listened to you.”
“Yeah.”
“Puck, baby,” I said because he seemed like a little kid right now and I wanted to use the endearment.“Can I say that?”
