I don’t realize what I’m doing until Max reaches up with shaking hands and tries to pull mine away from my hair that I’ve been tugging on. “Coop! Let go, babe. Please.” I release myvise grip and crumple into her hold, sobbing. She just holds me, making soothing noises.
A soft knock on the door pulls me out of the past and back into my body. I lift my head from her chest and swipe clumsily at my face, trying to remove as much snot as I can. The first thing I notice is how tall the man standing in the doorway is. The next is his shaggy, red hair. Then, honing in on the finer details, my eyes widen far enough to sting.
“I know you might not recognize me.” He runs his hand over the back of his neck.
“Teddy?!” I breathe out. “I… I thought you were just a dream. You’re really here?”
Max’s head swivels back and forth between us. A Cheshire grin spreads across her face, but I can’t focus on her right now. Everett freaking Davenport is standing right in front of me. His navy scrubs are pristine, but his eyes are red-rimmed. He approaches the bed slowly, like he’s scared that if he moves too fast, this moment will disappear.
“Yeah, LB. It’s me.” Warmth spreads through my chest at the familiar nickname. “Jesus, I never thought I’d see you again after you moved, and then last night…” He trails off.
Max stands up, pulling my attention away from Teddy. “It sounds like you two have a lot to discuss, so I’ll just head home and get cleaned up. Long flight and all that. I’ll be back in a few hours, Coop.” Bless her. She knows that I would never want a witness to my reunion with this man who was once my whole world. She does, however, give me a look, letting me know that she’ll be expecting a full rundown when she returns. I just roll my eyes at her.
Stepping up to him, she holds out her hand to shake. “Nice to finally put a face to the infamous Teddy,” she practically purrs.
“His name is Everett!” I snap.
She turns towards me, face serious. “I’m sorry, Coop. You’re right. I was out of line.”
Shocked by my own outburst, I can’t meet her eyes. “I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m sorry,” The words are mumbled as I pick at the blanket in my lap.
“Already forgiven,” Max starts.
“Already forgotten.” I finish.
She gives me a soft smile before turning back to Teddy. “It’s nice to know Cooper wasn’t exaggerating about how good-looking you are.” She winks at him and sticks her tongue out at me before sweeping out of the room. Hurricane Maxine strikes again.
Bitch.
Everett
Cooper looks so fragile as he sits in the hospital bed, picking at the blanket in his lap. Not quite sure what to do with myself, I just stand there gripping my left elbow. Talking to him used to be as easy as breathing, but it feels like a thousand lifetimes have passed since we said goodbye.
The Cooper I remember had eyes that danced with mischief, an easy, infectious smile that lit up the world around him, and the boy could talk circles around dang near anyone. His friend, who was in the room with him when I entered, actually reminds me a lot of the version of him I knew. The Cooper in front of me now is quiet and withdrawn. Melancholy radiates off of him in waves, and the pain in his eyes nearly brings on a fresh wave of tears. I blink them away quickly and clear my throat.
We begin at the same time.
“I can’t—”
“Sorry about—”
We share a small smile, but Cooper’s doesn’t reach his eyes.
“You go first,” I say with a wave of my hand.
“I was just going to apologize about Max. She’s an amazing person; the best really. She just has a penchant for causing chaos.”
I chuckle. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
Cooper’s smile is a little brighter this time, but it quickly dims again. “Yeah, I’m not much fun to be around these days.”
“I’m still just in shock that you’re actually here. I can’t begin to tell you how much I missed you. I wrote to you like every week for the first year or so. When you never replied, I was devastated. Mom said you were probably just caught up in your grief. I held out hope until about three months after your nineteenth birthday. I realized then that you weren’t coming home.”
Cooper
“You…wrote? I never got anything from you. Not even at the beginning, when I found myself writing multiple letters a day. Not getting a response from you broke me in ways I can’t even begin to describe. I thought you’d forgotten me, but I should have realized that Si—”
Realizing that I’m about to reveal too much, I jump up, planning to head to the bathroom, needing space to breathe through the anger and grief I can feel rising in my chest. But you know what they say about best-laid plans. The room spins, and suddenly the floor begins rushing towards my face. I brace myself, already preparing to make an appointment with my dentist, but instead of tile, my body hits a slightly softer solid mass.
