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I finish my water and set the glass by the sink. “It would have been nice to know about your virginity before I was in the process ofunknowinglytaking it.”
Scottie fiddles with the empty sacks, folding them and sliding them into the larger one. “In other news … I couldn’t control my emotions when Koen came home. And when I told him I couldn’t share why I was so upset, it didn’t go over well.”
“Yet, you’re moving in with him even though you’re scared of getting lost in him.”
She eyes me, teeth trapping her lower lip. “Bad idea?”
“Scottie,” I cross my arms and lean against the counter, “if you find someone who loves you for you, and you love them forwho they are, then you’ve found what everyone else is looking for.”
“Are you looking for that?”
“Okay, maybe noteveryone, but a lot of people. Outcasts battling life-threatening illnesses are exempt.”
“Exempt from happiness?”
“Exempt from caring about the needs of others.”
Her head juts backward. “That’s harsh.”
“But true.”
She doesn’t argue. “What kind of cancer?”
“The kind you don’t need to know. The kind that you don’t need to research. The kind you don’t need to obsess over.”
Scottie returns a pouty face. It’s irresistible, but I manage to resist.
“How can I help you?—”
“Stop. I don’t need your help. I just need you.”
“Price, you can’t have me.”
“I already do.” I push off the counter. “Go home. Drive safely. I need sleep.”
She follows me to the door and slips on her shoes. She doesn't hesitate for a second when she glances up at me. Her arms encircle my neck, and she hugs me with all she has to give.
“Red blood cells,” she murmurs. “Hugging builds red blood cells. Make sure you hug everyone you see.” Her lips press to my cheek, and it’s more than a friendly gesture, but it’s not romantic either.
I don’t know what we are, but it’s all I have, so I don’t try to define it because the easiest way to lose things is by labeling them—devaluing them with the simplicity of a word.
She steps outside.
“Scottie?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t lose Koen because of me. Keeping him is more important than keeping my secret.”
I can’t read her expression, but it softens after a few seconds. “I really do love you.”
I’ve heard people say that cancer is a gift. I never understood it until now.
“And I you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
MARRY THE MAN WHO TREATS YOU LIKE A COW.
