Noticing my distress, Jax takes hold of my hand. “Don’t worry. I still like you.”
“I like you, too.”
We say our goodbyes to mama next and leave the hospital. I feel like I can breathe again once we are outside. There’s something soul-sucking about those places.
When we get to my place, I check the mailbox first. There’s another thick envelope from our insurance company. I already know what that means. More payments we’ve missed and documents to set up payment plans. It’s hard to keep track of everything as sometimes the bills arrive weeks later.
I let out a sigh and hide the envelope from Jax. But I know he isn’t as oblivious as it might seem. I open the door and gesture for Jax to go in first. I walk after him and try to see my home through his eyes. The walls are painted dark green, almost like the color of his eyes, and there are pops of yellow and orangearound us. It has always reminded me of wildflower fields, and I love it.
Further down the hall, Jax stops at the family photos and looks at one of them, concentration evident on his face. “Is that you and your sisters?”
“Yes, I was twelve, Jasmine seventeen, and Shannon had just turned twenty-one. It was actually from her birthday party that year.”
“You look so different,” Jax says, wonder in his voice. He glances my way quickly and returns his gaze to the photos.
I laugh and look at the framed photo myself. “I know. I should thank my teen years for the glow-up.”
Back then, I still had the ugliest braces, my skin was ridden with acne, and I wasn’t dressing for my body type. My hair has changed too, and I ditched my thick glasses for contacts. It isn’t that I looked terrible but just different and so young.
“Definitely. But you were still cute back then.”
“What about you? Did you wake up one day and look like you do today?”
Jax ponders my question. “Yes and no. I had a growth spurt before Eli and Ollie, so they were shorter by inches when I first met them. These days we’re about the same. Other than that, I haven’t changed much over the years since I met them. Just added tattoos and piercings.”
“You must have been popular in school.”
“Popularity is such a weird concept. Sure, I had friends and people who wanted to be with me, but nothing too extreme. I had the same girlfriend most of high school until she dumped me for the football star.”
I wince. “I remember you mentioning it. That sucks.”
“Well, it wasn’t meant to be.” Jax shrugs.
“And now you’re here with me.”
“There’s no other place I’d rather be.”
His words make me swoon, but I know I have things to do before we can relax. “I wish I could continue this lovely conversation, but there are a few things I need to get done today.”
“Don’t mind me; I’ll find something to do while you sort out whatever needs sorting.”
“Great. Walk straight down the hallway and wait in the living room. I need to pick up some laundry and make a phone call,” I say, taking the latest invoice with me.
“Take your time, darling. I’ll probably watch the latest history video on YouTube while I wait.”
“If you had said that to me that night you walked into Warm'n'Cool, I would have thought you were joking, but I know better now.”
“I know. People never believe it, but I can’t help but learn that way.”
“Yeah, I bet it helps to do that when the letters aren’t your friends.” I nod my head in understanding.
“They’re my sworn enemies when you think about it.”
I chuckle. “Just like I was.”
“The best stories start when two people hate each other and then one day can’t stay away.”
A small smile tilts the corners of my lips at his words before I dash up the narrow stairs, trying to stay positive, even though the envelope in my hand includes another bill we can’t afford. It might be the time to take Eli’s offer and let him sort it out.
