“Grab me a cob salad, would you, Viraj? I’ll meet you down there in a few minutes. Miss Berton had a few questions about her mom before leaving.”
They look from Cosmos to me, and I smile nervously. It’s clear they aren’t buying it, which might be because of the hand-holding, but might equally be because Cosmos’ hair is a sexy mess. Or the flush to my cheeks. Or how swollen our lips are. I want to reach out and smooth his hair down, but that would definitely make things worse. I nonchalantly run a hand through my own hair, hoping it’s not as bad as his.
“Why don’t we all ride down together so we can help answer any questions you have?” Dr. Barbie smiles sweetly, but my stomach drops.
She’s got us trapped, so we step into the elevator, and the doors close behind us.
“Was there anything else you wanted to ask, MissBerton, or did I answer all of your questions?” Cosmos says. He looks at me, and time slams to a stop. The hum of the elevator is gone. Samantha and Viraj are statues.
I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “I thought this,” I wave a hand between us, “was okay now.”
Cosmos sighs, and his eyes pinch around the edges. “It is, but starting something up so quickly raises some questions. I’m not really ready for the rest of the surgical team to give me a hard time about it.”
“That makes sense.” I guess.
“And if your mom has any complications and ends up back here…”
We shouldn’t do this. It’s complicated and has the potential to get even more complicated. But… after that kiss, I don’t think I can just walk away. Not yet. “What do we do?”
He takes my hand and, without breaking eye contact, kisses the inside of my palm. “We take it one step at a time.”
When he lets go, he looks away, and I struggle to remember what it was he asked me right before we stopped time. “Ummm… I don’t think I have any more questions.”
The doors open onto the lobby, and Cosmos steps out first, holding his hand across the door to keep it open as the rest of us exit the elevator. “Well, if anything comes up, let us know.”
Dr. Barbie and Viraj file past him and wait a foot or two away, watching. Cosmos holds out his hand, asif to shake. I take it awkwardly and realize there’s something in his palm. A card. I smile. “Thank you, Dr. Romero.”
As soon as I get to my car, I look at what he gave me. It’s a business card with a personal phone number written on the back.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Over the past few days, Mom and I have settled into a new normal. She mostly sleeps. I mostly panic about my thesis. When I’m not working, we watch movies together.
Yesterday, she sat out on our tiny patio, knees touching the rotting wood railing, and pontificated about how beautiful the view was. Our view is basically just a tiny yard covered in weeds. Every time I look at it, I’m reminded of my failures and how behind I am on everything. I’m happy that she’s happy, though.
Bright moments come in the form of textsfrom Cosmos.
Cosmos:
I just went into your mom’s room on instinct, only to find an 80-year-old man having his catheter changed. I blame you for that haunting image. I was missing you and in my tired state, I forgot you weren’t there anymore.
My heart flutters, pulse picking up. He misses me. Really? Struggling to believe that, I choose to ignore that part of the message and focus on the other part.
Don’t you see things like that every day?
Cosmos:
Yeah. Not much about the human body shocks me anymore—which should tell you how horrifying this was.
I might need another image to erase it from my mind
Cheeky. But I can’t help smiling. I take a picture of the sandwich I’m eating for lunch and send it to him. He replies with a laughing emoji.
Cosmos:
Now, I’m hungry for two things
I doubt he’s thinking what I am, but I’m not sure how else to read his message, and the warmth thatcrawls through me at the innuendo makes me bring my water glass to my cheeks.
