“Better than you calling me rich boy. Almost sounds cooler, you know?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet, you’re still here with me.”
I lowered my gaze, vulnerability creeping in and taking over before I could stop it. “I thought I’d lost you, Asher.”
He felt the pang in my heart when I said it. I saw the twinge of sorrow flash across his face instantly.
“I thought I’d lost you, Lennon,” he said with such a sombre tone. “I woke up knowing that day was the day. And I think it sent me over the ledge. I can’t imagine a life without you.”
Tears pooled down my cheeks. I had missed the appointment. I hadn’t realized he knew.
“I got a call from your mother,” I began. “She told me you went into cardiac arrest. I ran to you as soon as I could.”
The thought hit him suddenly. “What day is it?”
“October 27th.”
Processing what that meant, his eyes grew wide.
“You’ve been here with me an extra eleven days?”
I shook my head. “You’ve been out for eleven days, Asher. That’s terrifying.”
A soft smile began to fill the features on his face, one I’ll never forget. “Yeah,” he murmured, “but not as terrifying as you being gone forever. You’ve been here eleven days longer than you wanted to be. And fuck…that makes me so proud of you.”
My heart melted straight into my stomach, dissolving into something soft and unrecognizable.
What the fuck was he doing to me?
He reached for my hand, bringing it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to each knuckle.
“I love you, Lennon. I’d known it from the moment I met you. Right from the time I passed out chasing you down the hall, to the time you slapped me—one of the times, anyway—until this very moment and all that’s in between. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
I was sobbing uncontrollably now.
“I love you too, Asher. So fucking much. So much that you can’t leave me behind in this world.”
“The same goes for you, you know.”
Asher
It had been a couple of days in the hospital. Lennon hardly left my side, spending every spare second outside her appointments sitting with me. Sometimes it felt like I was keeping her alive. She stayed with me for fear of that urge to let go resuming in full force.
Today she sat cross-legged at the end of my bed, reading to me. Something I had done more times than I could count. She stumbled over her words at times, seemingly nervous about such an intimate task with me, but she insisted.
She was readingRemarkably Bright Creatures, and the way she enthusiastically read this book, I would have listened to her read a fucking grocery receipt.
She tucked her hair behind her ears as she focused on the pages so attentively, ensuring she was capturing the tone of the book.
When she peeked up through her long lashes and caught me staring, she blushed.
“What?” she asked.
I chuckled. “Nothing. Just really enjoying this moment with you. Here. With me.”
I enunciated each word, ensuring she understood the tone in which I meant the statement. She smiled, her lips motioning in a soft manner about them that felt bittersweet.
