AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She stood up. “It’s been real nice talking to you, Wesley. I really hope you figure this one out. I’m rooting for you.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“And you’re going to want to figure it out quick. A girl can’t wait forever.”
I nodded and she turned and left.
As for me, I stuck around the shop a little while longer, sipping on my Earl Grey tea and thinking. After so many years of thinking a certain way, it was difficult to get out of that box. But I didn’t have a choice.
Of course, the answer had been there all along. It was a frightening answer, but that’s what made me sure it was the right thing to do. I’d lived my whole life carefully, refusing to take risks.
That was about to change.
CHAPTER29
***SLOANE***
Ipractically lived on Mila's couch for the next two weeks, getting up only to take care of biological necessities. Mila was active in trying to get me up, though. Sometimes, she would force me to go take a shower or at least look out the window at the sunset. I assume she was hoping that the natural light might make me feel better, but it didn't. It was strange how dull the colors of a sunset could look when your mind was preoccupied with personal tragedy.
She was going out every evening around six. She didn’t tell me what it was for, only that she was going to be gone for a while. At the time, I didn't think anything of it, though I suspected that she just needed to get away from me. I got it. It was probably draining to be around someone as depressed as I was for as long as I was. She needed an escape. Anyone would. If I had a choice, I would have tried to get away from myself during that time, too. Everybody needs a break from reality now and then.
I wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to put up with me. It seemed that the answer was about two weeks.
That was the point when she just came over to me and threw the blanket off of my body.
"Come on," she said. "Get up."
I didn't have any energy in my body. My existential fuel was on empty. If I tried, I could sit up for short periods of time, but after no more than a few minutes, I’d end up lying back down, staring at the TV, which hadn’t had a rest since the moment I arrived. By this point, I'd practically watched everything available on Netflix and was struggling to find anything I hadn’t seen yet.
“You and me,” she said. “We're going for a jog.”
That may have been the first laugh I’d had in weeks. “Are you serious?" I could barely lift my head and she was trying to drag me on a run with her.
"Not too far," she said. "Just a mile or so.”
“That’s a mile or so further than I’m capable of right now.”
“I know a really good trail. You'll love it."
It was going to take more than a good trail to get me off the couch.
“Come on,” she said. “Running releases endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy is good, remember?"
Was it? She was lighthearted and joking, but it was legitimately hard to remember what happiness felt like.
"Look, you've been living at my place rent free for two weeks, running up my electricity bill.” Mila gestured towards the television. “I don't ask you to do chores or much of anything, really. In fact, this might be the first thing I’ve asked you for and all I want is for you to go running with me for a little bit.”
She was trying to guilt me into being her running buddy.
“I'll even buy you a smoothie when we're done."
I looked at her in disbelief. Did she really think I looked like someone who wanted a smoothie?
"Also, I need someone to keep me safe," she said. "It's much safer to run in pairs. You don’t want me to get hurt, do you? Imagine how bad you’d feel if something bad happened to me because you weren’t there to keep me safe."
Sometimes she could be just as stubborn as I was. And she had a point: she was letting me crash at her place for an indefinite amount of time and she was my sister. That had to count for something.
The guilt was overpowering, and I relented. “Fine,” I told her. “What do I wear?”
