Last time we saw each other, he slut-shamed me and I slapped him.
“You look like you got hit by a truck.” He perches by the side of my bed, trying to keep his tone light, playful, but he sounds weird.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have a game to play or some far-flung state to visit, or something?”
I was aiming for bitchy, but I just sound sad.
“I had a game last night.”
“Right,” I drawl. “So, I’m guessing you guys lost—why else would you be here?”
“I didn’t play. I’ve been sitting here in this hospital since you were admitted.”
I start. He sounds so tired. Worry flits over his features, his eyes full of concern. I blink a couple of times. Maybe the morphine is playing tricks on me.
“You must be so relieved—turns out your favorite toy isn’t broken.”
He shuts his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh.
I know this is the wrong time and place to bring this up, but I can’t help it. What’s the point in going through all this again, though? I don’t need him to open up—what I need is to get some distance from it all and to get my life back on track. I’m tired of arguing with him. I’m tired of arguing withmyself.
“I was right there when you crashed,” he says through gritted teeth. “I called for help; I held your hand when they lifted you out of the car. You were limp, Amy. I thought you were d—”
Panic courses through me.
“Is the car okay?” I jolt up, instantly regretting it.
My ribs feel like they’re about to cave in.Don’t move.I let out a moan as a wave of nausea comes crashing over me, shooting pain hammering at my skull.
“Want me to call a nurse?”
“No. I just need rest.”
He gets up and reaches for the bed remote. “Let me help you lie down.”
“I can take it from here,” I snap, and my plan is to bat his hand away, but my arm doesn’t move.
Fucking annoying.
He stands there hovering over me, that same strange light shining in his eyes.
Who is this guy, and what has he done with Lewis?
“Amy, I’ve been waiting for you to wake up for two days now.” He sighs. “If you think I’m just gonna head home like nothing happened, maybe the doctors need to check your brain again.”
“Cut the crap, Lewis. We both know you don’t give a shit.”
He frowns. “Excuse me? I was so scared back there, Amy!Soscared…” His voice rises a notch. “Whatever you think you know—you’ve got it all wrong.”
He’s being honest with me, I can tell. But that doesn’t change the facts—I’m in love with the guy, and a near-death experience doesn’t change that.
“That’s the thing.” I shrug. “I think I’ve been getting it wrong from the start.”
“Same here. I thought…” He sighs. “Should we take it from the top?”
“Does it matter?”
“I’m not leaving until we’ve had an actual conversation. If you’d justlistenedto me, instead of driving like a bat out of h—”
