AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I push it away. I have no right to it. Not anymore. Like the rest of the world, I counted their dates. After the third one, I’d gotten drunk and asked Lucas to move in with me. Of course, she’s in Graham’s room
Reluctantly, I put the phone back to my ear and force words out of my suddenly dry mouth. “Hi, yes, it’s Apollo. I’m sorry. I’m just so tired,” I lie. Tired is the last thing I feel now. My heart is thudding in my chest. Adrenaline starting to surge at this unexpected encounter.
“I’m so happy you called. I’ve been so worried about Graham,” she speaks in a hushed tone. Hearing her say his name with so much intimacy … hurts. It feels like my heart is on fire inside of my chest.
“Yeah, bet,” I force out.
“He’s sleeping,” she says.
“I know …” I tell her.
“Oh, my goodness. You’ve been on the phone with him for … two hours and thirty minutes?”
“I’m sorry … he asked me to call, I didn’t mean to—”
“This isn’t the time. Not even close. But, I can tell you need to hear it,” she says cryptically.
“Hear what?” I demand brusquely. I just want to open the door and go to Graham.
Her speech is very direct and unnerving because I feel like she knows more about me than I would want to her to. “I love Graham. Very much,” she says slowly, like she wants to make sure I understand each word before she moves on to the next one. “We’ve become—”
“It’s okay.” My interruption is brusque, and I’m mortified by how transparent I am. “You don’t have to—” I start.
“I do. I don’t want you to feel anything less than welcome or to let anything keep you from being here for Graham however you need to be.” Her voice is full of meaning I can’t decipher. “He’s going to need you.”
I’m tired and confused, but I can recognize the extraordinary grace this woman has just shown. She must love Graham a lot. The thought, strangely, settles something inside of me. And rather than jealousy, I feel a swell of gratitude that he has been in such good hands. He deserves to be loved so completely. I wish the privilege was mine, but I can’t be anything but glad that he’s had this.
“I’ll be here for him,” I say simply, not knowing what else to say.
“He’s told me so much about you. I’m glad to know that he wasn’t exaggerating.”
“Oh, okay,” I say. My tongue is tied.
“I’m going to hang up, okay?” She yawns. “I’ll make sure he calls you tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
The line goes dead. I turn the phone over facedown in my lap and try really hard to stop my mind from thinking about her slipping into bed with him. I fail. My stomach feels like I swallowed a stone. A second later, it buzzes. It’s a text. From Graham’s number.
“I thought you might want to see him for yourself. Amber xoxo”
She sent a picture of Graham. He’s in his bed, his light-yellow sheets drawn up to his shoulders. His cheek is pressed into the mattress and his hair is loose and fans out all around his head. All I can see is his profile, his mouth is open slightly, his lips puckered by the press of the mattress against his cheek.
His lashes form feathery shadows on his cheeks. His beard is gone. I itch to touch the smooth jaw that I haven’t seen since I was a girl.
He’s even more beautiful than I remember.
I turn my phone over in my hand, unlock the screen, and hang up just as we pull up to the hotel. Then, I call Lucas and do what I should have done ages ago.
Hail Mary
Graham
LAX, Private plane terminal.
Two Months Later
“Mr. Davis, would you like anything else to drink before we take off?” the air steward, Ryan, asks as he collects the empty water bottle from the small tray table in front of me.
