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Joey wastes no time nudging me toward the bedroom as soon as we walk in the door.
“Okay, do you mind if I at least go to the bathroom before you banish me off to bed?” I chuckle. “Not that I don’t appreciate the way you’ve been taking care of me. They pumped me with so much saline solution in that IV that I feel like I’ve had to pee for days.”
“Yes, Angel. You can go to the bathroom. I’ll get you some water and your meds, and meet you in the bedroom.”
Joey kisses my forehead gently, and when he pulls away, I can see the toll this has taken on him — both emotionally and physically. His eyes are bloodshot and he has bags underneath them. His usual vibrant complexion is dull and lifeless, and his hair is a mess. I can’t help the feeling of guilt that rushes through me. God, I feel fucking horrible that I put him through this.
“I’m s—”
“Don’t apologize, Kelsey. This is not something you could control.” Joey cuts me off. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
After I’ve “taken care of business” in the bathroom, I settle into bed like Joey told me to. I’m surprised when Savannah walks into the bedroom instead of Joey.
“I’m going to stay the night, just to be here in case Joey needs help taking care of you.”
I wave my hand dismissively. “I’ll be fine, Sav. This was a freak thing — I promise.”
“Maybe so, but I still don’t feel right leaving.” She walks over and takes a seat on the bed. “You didn’t see what I saw.” Her eyes glance toward the doorway to see if Joey is nearby. “I know it’s hard for you because you’ve always been Miss Independent, but you need to let him take care of you right now, okay?”
I nod my head in agreement. I’ve already gotten the impression since I woke up that Joey is going to spend every waking moment catering to me. I’m not trying to say that I’m not appreciative of his desire to take care of me, but I’m just not used to it. Grant avoided me like the plague whenever I was on my period. When we first got together, he’d try to coax a blowjob out of me, but quickly stopped when I flipped out on him for his lack of empathy. Looking back on it now, that’s probably when the cheating started. God forbid a man go a week without sex — oh, the horror.
Savannah pats my leg, snapping me back to the present as she stands up. “I’m right across the hall if you need me.”
Joey walks in as Savannah walks out, pills and water in hand. “Here you go, Angel.” He sits down by my feet and passes everything to me.
“Thank you.” I take the meds and place the water bottle on the night stand. When my gaze locks back on Joey, he appears more vulnerable than I’ve ever seen him. “How are you doing?” Everything has been so focused on me today that I feel like I need to check in on him.
He shakes his head in what appears to be shame. “I should’ve come home as soon as you said you were leaving school. You shouldn’t have been alone, and I’m so fucking sorry that you were.” His eyes are welling up with tears, causing mine to do the same. I scoot forward in the bed, bringing his hand into mine.
“Joey, you couldn’t have known this was going to happen. Hell, I didn’t even know — this has never happened to me before. I mean, sure, I’ve gotten dizzy from time to time, but it was never to that level. You can’t blame yourself for this.”
I watch as a lone tear falls from his eye. “How come you never told me about this condition? How long have you known about it?”
“About five years or so, and I never told you because it’s not something I felt the need to talk about. I don’t even think I told my sister or my parents right away. I was with Grant for two years and he didn’t even know — not that it would’ve mattered.”
“Was this my fault? Was I too rough with you? If I had known, I wouldn’t have —”
“No, Joey. It wasn’t your fault,” I cut him off. “And please, don’t feel like you need to hold yourself back or treat me like glass. I know my limits and what I can handle with this condition — I will always tell you.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.” I squeeze his hand gently for comfort. “You know what I could really use right now?”
“Anything you want, Angel, just ask.”
“I need some Joey snuggles.”
His smile matches mine before he kisses me. “I think I can do that.” Joey lies on his back and allows me to snuggle up on his chest. I feel his breaths slow as he starts to relax, now that I’m back where I belong — in his arms.
I love cuddling with Joey almost as much as I love sex with him. The way he holds me like I’m the most precious thing in the world — God, it just makes me feel so safe from everything. If I could bottle up this feeling and sell it, I’d probably be a billionaire.
“Kelsey,” Joey mutters against the top of my head.
“Yeah?” I turn my head up so I can see him.
“I know that when you initially decided to stay here, it was supposed to be temporary until you found a new apartment…” he trails off nervously.
My heart starts racing at what I think he’s about to say. I had thought about this all weekend myself — how I wanted to wake up next to him every morning forever. We’ve spent so much time tiptoeing around our feelings for each other that I don’t want to waste another minute apart.
