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Liv
Iwakeupalone,squinting at the light coming in from the window. A lawn mower rumbles outside. The curtains sit to the side, and the sky is a beautiful pale blue. Just like Luke’s eyes. I roll over and slam the pillow next to me over my face.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Garrett’s chipper voice calls out from the doorway.
An inelegant groan is my only reply. He chuckles and yanks the pillow off my head and tosses it aside, but I replace it with my arm.
“Sorry darlin’, your period of mourning is over. It’s time to rejoin society.”
I drop my arm at Jackson’s voice and find him standing behind Garrett, looking down at me with a determined smirk.My remaining anger disappears at the sight of him.
“There she is.” Jackson smiles at me, and I can’t help but return it. It’s so good to see him and hear his voice. It’s like a soothing balm to my burned soul.
“Hi, Jackson,” I croak.
“Oof. It’s worse than I thought. Well, nothing that a shower and some tacos can’t fix.”
My eyebrows lift. “Tacos?” His grin is wide and infectious.
“Your bestie is en route with the goods. But shower first. It’s been almost three days since your last one,” Garrett says. He wrinkles his nose and I sigh.
“What day is it?”
“Saturday.”
“How long has it been?”
They share a glance, then Garrett answers. “Six days.”
Jesus.
“I know you’d rather stew in your little cocoon of misery, but that’s over with. You have an appointment with Susan on Monday, if you want to go,”Jackson says.
As much as I hate it, he’s right.
“I picked out an outfit for you,” Garrett says. He stands and sets a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt with a pair of clean underwear and bra on top. I haven’t worn a bra this entire time and I glare at it like it’s my mortal enemy.
“I’m the last person on the planet to recommend harnessing titties, but this ain’t healthy,” Jackson says, his voice serious, but his eyes twinkling.
My mouth quirks up into a smile and I chuckle.
Jackson grins like he won the lottery. “There we go. Now git on up,” he drawls, grabbing my hand and yanking me out of the bed. I scramble for the clean clothes before I follow him down the hall and he slingshots me into the bathroom. He leans against the doorframe, his hands propped up on either side of him.
“These assholes have coddled the shit out of you for the past week. That’s done now. It’s ok to be sad, but I won’t let you lose yourself over him. You hear me?”
We stare at each other for a moment, and his eyebrow quirks up, daring me to challenge him. I nod as my bottom lip wobbles. He’s right. I can’t continue like this. “Thank you.” The tears flow and he takes the three steps into the bathroom and wraps me up in a comforting hug.
He holds me for a few seconds, then releases me. He steps backwards out of the bathroom and pinches his nose. “Shower. Stat.” He points to the shower stall, and I slam the door in his face. I let myself smile when his laughter floats through the door.
About thirty minutes later, I head down the stairs to the kitchen. Vera greets me with a sympathetic smile and a hug. “I brought your favorite.”
Jackson slides the plate of carnitas tacos to the empty chair at the table and I devour them in seconds. I lean back with a contented sigh and a hand on my belly when I finish. Jackson, Garrett, and Vera exchange grins and I force aside the sharp pain that threatens to break through. These people, my dear friends, have endured enough of my sadness, and I’m getting sick of it too.
“Thank you, guys.” They smile and I stand and clean up my dishes. John comes in from the backyard smelling like grass and gives me a side hug while he kisses the top of my head.
“God, you smell so much better,” he breathes out into my hair, and I roll my eyes. He chuckles and hip bumps me out of the way to reach the fridge.
I sit on the couch a little while later, sipping a glass of ice water. The TV is on but I’m not watching it. Jackson sits next to me. Dylan works out in the garage and John is grocery shopping. Vera and Garrett are chatting at the table on the patio. Their laughter reaches me, and I peer out at the duo. Vera sits with her elbow on the table, her hand on her chin as Garrett regales her with a story, waving his hands around as he speaks.
