“I want us to date like normal people do,” I confirmed. “I want to go to dinner and movies and argue about what to watch. I want to get to know you outside of this hospital.”
“And what happens if you start to miss me too much?”
“Then I’ll show up at your front door and stay the night.” I gave him a small smile. “But I want to try living apart for a while so we can build a strong foundation.”
Riven nodded slowly, considering. "Okay."
"You agree?"
"You're right that we should take our time." He pulled me close again. "But I'm going to complain constantly about missing you."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
He looked at me and I could tell he had another question on his mind. “What happens when I have a really bad day? What if my new job is too much or I can't stop thinking about the past?”
“Then you call me,” I said simply. “And I’ll be there. Just because we don't live together doesn't mean I'm not by your side.”
"And your bad days? When people gossip or a surgery goes wrong?"
"Then I call you." I leaned my forehead against his. "We're choosing each other, Riven. That doesn't change based on where we sleep."
“I really like the sound of that,” he whispered. “Choosing each other.”
“I like it too,” I agreed.
We stood there for a moment in each other's arms, surrounded by hospital supplies. I thought about the first time we were in this room when I was so tired I could barely stand. I used to be so focused on doing everything alone because I thought needing help was a failure.
He showed me that I was wrong. He didn't do it with big speeches, but by just being there when I needed him the most. He saw me when I was struggling and stayed by my side when I was scared to let anyone in.
“What are you thinking about right now?” Riven asked.
“I'm just thinking about how much has changed since that first day,” I said.
“You mean that day you collapsed and I had to carry you to the ER?”
"I didn’t collapse. I was resting."
"You were unconscious on the floor, Mireya."
“It was a very comfortable floor.”
He laughed and leaned his forehead against mine. "You were so stubborn. Determined to be fine even when you clearly weren't."
“I told you I was fine,” I joked.
“You were running on nothing but pure stubbornness and caffeine.”
“Is there any other way to get things done?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “You can do it with someone walking beside you.”
Something in my chest cracked open. We'd both learned the same lesson—the hard way.
“We should probably get out of here before someone needs supplies,” I suggested.
“You’re probably right about that.”
He reached for the door handle but then stopped for a second. “Mireya?”
