Page 114 of Summer Holiday Lifeline

Ozzy knocked Myles’s leg with his own. “You’re all right.” He pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It isn’t him, really. Although some days, I wonder how it is that he’s still here. Still putting up with me.”

Myles literally dug his teeth into his tongue to keep from saying anything, and a bubbling silence formed around them.

“Go ahead, say it,” Ozzy said. “Sort of set myself up for it.”

Myles laughed, and a second later, Ozzy joined him. “He’s still here because he loves you.”

“So did you.”

“Still do.” This time, Myles nudged Ozzy. “Truly. Maybe more, with perspective and distance.”

“From where it’s safe?”

“Literally.” Myles reached over and took the hand Ozzy was diligently scrubbing, lacing their fingers together. “I thought seeing you again was going to push me back into that hole.”

Ozzy squeezed his hand.

“I didn’t let myself think it might be the same for you, seeing me. I had to believe Lucky when he said you’d be okay. I had to, because the fact was, I was more afraid of staying there alone than I was even of hurting you. The kids—” His throat closed so suddenly it hurt, and he couldn’t have forced another word out if his life had depended on it.

“I am fine.”

Myles nodded.

“I’m not sitting out here because of Tris.”

“Me?” Myles croaked out.

“Tangentially.”

Myles waited. He knew Ozzy well enough to know he would speak his mind, given enough space.

“I know that you know that Jet has been talking to me, because he told me he told you.”

“I believe that statement to be true,” he deadpanned.

Ozzy leveled a look at him.

“Yes. I know he’s been talking to you.”

“And?”

“And what?”

Again, Ozzy looked at him, waiting.

Myles extracted his hand from Ozzy’s. “He told me he was talking to you, and I told him if it was helping, he should do it. He’s not a stupid kid. He knows about my past, knows my father was an alcoholic, so he’s seen it his whole life. It makes sense he might want to talk to someone not me about probably being scared of me relapsing.”

“And you’re okay it’s been me he’s talking to?”

“Oz, if there is one thing I know about you, it’s that you take this shit seriously. If you can’t help, you’ll find him someone who can.”

“I need to know you’re okay with me doing that. Yes, he can make his own choices here, but you’re still his guardian for another couple of years.”

“This isn’t about me being his guardian, though, is it? It’s about me being me, and you being you.”

“Us being us. You never liked me making suggestions in this area.”

“Perspective and distance.”