“No, we’re going to stabilize it and then take you to the hospital.” At least, that’s what I hope we’re going to do.
First aid training is essential in my workplace. While I send up a silent prayer every morning that there won’t be any major injuries, most years see at least one tiny catastrophe. Most often, a student who insists on leaning back in their chair until it tips over and they crack their head on the floor.
Or the kid who ran eye-first into the pencil sharpener. I shiver at the thought of that one.
But also? Who still has wall-mounted pencil sharpeners?
“Can someone get me a bunch of dish towels? And some tape? Packing or duct tape would be perfect.”
No one moves.
“Now.” I use my best teacher voice. It has the exact effect I want. Suddenly, everyone’s on their feet and bringing me supplies.
It’s not pretty, but I manage to secure the towels enough to keep the knife from moving. Her mom and dad get her in the car with a little help from Covey, and they’re off to the emergency department.
We all stand in the doorway, watching their sedan drive away. “You’re amazing,” Covey says, wrapping an arm around my waist.And then, the strangest and most incredible thing possible happens. Covey leans in and kisses me.
We’re not talking a cute little peck, either. He goes all-in, kissing me like he’s been thinking about it all day.Which is weird, because in the second that he first presses his lipsagainst mine, the thought that pops into my head isfinally.The time in bed together this morning feels like a lifetime ago. I didn’t realize how I’d been waiting for him to kiss me again, to reassure me it wasn’t all part of some dream.
My shock barely wears off before he pulls away, only giving me a second to kiss him back. And then, it’s all over. As suddenly as the whole thing started, it’s done.
One of our mothers clears her throat. So much for our moment.
“Whelp, we have to get going. I have to be at the performance hall in a few hours.” Covey grabs my hand and leads me toward the hall closet with our coats.
“Oh, well, Aidan can stay a bit longer if he wants.”Covey’s mom looks back and forth between me and my mom. I think everyone knows that if someone’s going to break, it’ll be me. Which is a reputation I’ve more than earned.
“He can’t. We drove together.” Thankfully, Covey’s quick on his feet and good at shutting down these conversations. Otherwise, I’d probably be walking home tonight, half drunk, after spending another three hours entertaining our families. “From my house.”
“Well, okay then. When will we see you again?”
I swear, I can hear Covey’s blood boiling at his mom’s question. He’s so busy right now, and the extra demands on his time from family are stressing him out. I’ve seen his calendar, and there’s very little time for sleep, let alone a host of social obligations.
“Not for a while,” Covey stresses each of the words. “I’m tight on time until after the New Year.”
“I know, I know. We’ll figure something out.” I somehow doubt he’ll get away with being out of the house until Christmas. That’s a month away, and no one here seems willing to wait that long.
“Maybe in a couple of weeks you can come over forSunday dinner.”She bats her eyes at him like she’s not fully aware that her offer is impossible. Even I know The Nutcracker schedule means weekends are out. Covey grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the door.
“Bye. Thanks for having us,” I call as he moves through the house as quickly as possible. We’re outside before I have a chance to get my outerwear on, and the winter wind immediately freezes my skin.
“Sorry,” he says when we pull away from the curb.
“Don’t worry about it. I knew what I was getting into with them.” I didn’t anticipate the blood and gore, but the rest of it is pretty par for the course.
“How did you know to do all that? With Marina?”
“Kids get hurt a lot.” I shrug. It’s not fun, but it’s a fact of life. “They make us be prepared.”
“Well, you were great. Not just all the medical stuff, but keeping everyone calm and organized.” Idon’t mention that if I can do it with thirty small children, a house full of family members is nothing. “Sorry about the kiss thing. I know we talked briefly about physical contact, but I’m not sure where we decided the line is.”
An image of our kiss pops into my head, his soft lips pressed against mine.His eyes are glued to the road, which is probably best. I couldn’t bear to look at him right now. “Oh, um… no.” I can’t imagine that Covey kissing me would ever be a mistake.
“No? Like it’s not okay to kiss you, or no, it’s not over the line?”
“It’s not over the line,” I say, my belly heating at the memory. “It’s fine.” I find myself looking for excuses for us to do it again. “That’s exactly what we’d do if we were dating, so it makes sense. Plus, we’re doing that friends-with-benefits thing, right?” I hadn’t wanted to bring it up, afraid my recollection of the morning might be slightly off. The topic hadn’tcome up while we got ready, both of us pretending it was a typical day. Now that I’ve said the words aloud, I want to take them back. I’ve never had a situation like this before. What if it’s likeFight Club? If I talk about it, then I’m out.
“Exactly.”
