“Will do. But I want some one-on-one time with her soon.” She pointed at me. “If she hadn’t had such a bad time here last time, I would be taking over.”
Then she disappeared into the back and got ready to leave.
After Kelsey said her goodbyes to the both of us, Piper and I were finally alone. There were just a few minutes left before I could lock the door, and each minute moved slower and slower.
Finally, I flipped the sign over and Piper was standing behind me.
“You were waiting,” I said.
“Only at the end there. I did actually have work to do. After last week, I’m behind on a deadline.” She blew out a breath. “So I have to catch up.”
“Howwasthe last week?” I asked.
“Were you worried about me?” She meant it as a joke. I didn’t take it as one.
“Yes.”
She blinked, color making its way to her cheeks. “O-oh. Then I guess I should have texted. Wanna sit with me for a bit?”
I nodded and she led the way over to her table. Her laptop was still there but closed. We both sat in the same places as last time.
“So, I had my doctor’s appointment,” she said. “For the thing I told you about.”
“How did it go?”
“Easier than I thought it would be. My therapist recommended her, and she made sure I knew that this was entirely in my control. I started my new medicine a few days ago.”
I was lucky that my own issues seemed to get better over time. Once I was on my own, my worries were easier to manage. Sure, I still had nightmares where I wondered if I would mess it all up, but it didn’t stop me.
Piper’s, on the other hand, were triggered by something so simple. Something so human.
“How do you feel?” I asked. I’d never touched anything in my life. After how I grew up, I was terrified to. When she asked me, I knew exactly how she felt.
But I also knew that there was a line between living and suffering. And she was on the wrong side of it.
“Not that much different. I’m okay and a little tired. But it takes time to kick in.” She shrugged. “I can always try something different. Ihaveto be out of the house, though.”
“You don’t have to worry about coming here.”
“It’s not that. Being here was honestly fine today. It’s something else.” She sighed and looked out the window. “I need to go to the store.”
“You haven’t yet?”
“No,” she muttered, cheeks pink. “My friends helped mestock up when I moved here. I have a very specific list I follow to make sure I don’t run out until about a month later.”
“And it’s been a month.”
“It’s sosilly. I should just be able to go.” She winced. “And I’m not supposed to say things about myself like that. I’m just so tired of this.”
“You know, the guy who owns the store isn’t too bad. His name’s Dale.”
“Dale. He owns the one on the square?”
“He does.”
“What if he doesn’t have everything I need?”
“What’s on your list?”
