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Jaxon was leaning against the wall, waiting for me.

I swallowed the sudden emotions climbing my throat. Jaxon was waiting for me. I didn’t know why that stirred me so much, but it did. I raced toward him, and he smiled, though it turned to a look of surprise as I launched myself at him. He grunted when I impacted, winding my arms around his neck and my legs around his middle. I held on like the stage five clinger that I was. Koalas had nothing on me. I was going to cling to Jaxon and never let him go.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jaxon

“We’re doing this why?” I asked when Chris put a face mask on me.

“Because we deserve it.”

“Not disputing that.” I’d seen Christopher do this before, but I’d never joined in. He’d also never asked in the past. Of course, he hadn’t asked this time either. He’d just sat on my bed, braided my hair, put a bonnet on me, then started to open face masks.

He was sitting, crossed-legged, in between my outstretched legs, facing me. He was wearing his own bonnet, though his was bright pink to my black, and he had a face mask on. “Because self-care is nice, and it has been a day.”

I reached for him, and Chris came toward me without hesitation. I curled my arms around his waist. “What happened?”

When he’d come back after class, he hadn’t said anything, just put in headphones, turned on his audiobook, and flopped face-first onto the ground. I’d tried to ask what was going on, but he hadn’t responded.

Chris shrugged.

“It’s something.” My fingers fisted around his shirt. I didn’t like him upset. “But you don’t have to tell me.”

Playing with one of the strings from my hoodie, he muttered, “I’m just overwhelmed.”

“About?” He seemed to be on top of homework, and our paper was going well. Soccer was good. He’d been cutting back on running and working out to a healthier amount.

“I talked to my parents.”

My eyebrows drew together. Chris was extremely close to his parents. I asked, “Are they okay?”

“Yeah.”

I tucked my fingers under his shirt and smoothed my fingers over his bare skin. A shiver went through him. Chris settled closer toward me, chewing on his lip. I freed it. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“They were talking about Samantha choosing a major. Sports education. Which is great. It’s so great.”

Yeah, Chris didn’t sound as if he believed what he was saying.

“But then they started asking if I’d chosen yet. What I want to do.” He looked up at me, and his brown eyes were so bleak—bleaker than I’d ever seen. Chris shrugged, shaking his head. “I just… I just don’t know.”

“Baby.”

“I have no idea.” He started panting. His grip on my sweater got so tight that his knuckles turned white from the strain. “I don’t—” Chris took a sharp inhale, shaking.

“Oh, baby.” I pulled him solidly against me, our face masks forgotten.

He was gasping for breath, trembling in my embrace, and sweat coated him. I tried to soothe him, not completely sure what was going on, by rubbing his back and whispering nonsensical, calming words. I started rocking him, my eyes wide as he struggled to breathe. What was going on with Chris?

Eventually, he sagged completely against me, his face pressed against my chest. In a small voice, he begged, “Please don’t leave me.”

“Never, Christopher. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I can’t handle any of this without you.”

“And you don’t have to.”

“Please. I’m so scared.”