Page 18 of It Had To Be You

Using the crutches, I make my way into the bathroom to do my business before returning to the bedroom to change into some clothes. I lift my nightshirt above my head and drop it onto the bed. The few clothes I have are in a suitcase on top of the drawer. I’m down to my last pair of knickers, so I’ll need to do some washing or give Lara control over my underwear. I hook the leg hole around my pot. With my good foot, I slowly lift them up until I can reach them with my hand. Then I add my other leg to the other side. My knickers are just about over my ass when Lara enters.

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t realise you’d be naked,” Lara says.

I cover my tits, cupping them in my hands. “It’s fine. I’m no less covered than I was at Pride.”

“Shall I leave, or do you need some help?”

I arch an eyebrow. “That’s a bit of a cheeky question from you.”

She blushes while she looks everywhere but at me. “You know what I mean, but your answer is enough. I’ll leave you to it.”

She disappears from the room, making me smile. Maybe Lara is affected by me, or she’s a prude. Yeah, it’s probably the second option. I shake the crazy thought. I’m going to be naked for more than just a minute if I don’t clean some clothes. I finish getting ready and she’s waiting to help me downstairs.

“Can you help me with laundry? The pants you saw are my last pair.”

She glances at my crotch. “We wouldn’t want you running around naked.”

“You’re silly. I can’t run anywhere.” I smirk because she knows I’m purposely saying the nudity would be okay, and I love messing with her. She grabs my clothes and puts a load in the washer. We have eggs for breakfast before travelling to the local park.

“Are you sure you want to get out of the car?” Lara asks.

“Of course. There’s no way I’m staying behind.” She opens the door for me, and I ungracefully fumble my way out. The uneven ground is hard on my arms as I struggle with the crutches. Lara side-eyes me, but she knows not to offer a hand. It takes me double the time to reach the lake and, instead of going to the water, I sit on the bench. My hands and forearms are throbbing. Someone needs to invent something better than crutches to help with a broken leg. Lara watches me and then sits down next to me. “Why aren’t you feeding the ducks?” I ask.

“I’m waiting for you.” She looks out at the lake. Maybe Lara knows me better than I know myself. She’s in tune with what I need. Before, I wanted to make the journey to the lake for myself. Now, I need a few minutes and she’s waiting. Has she always been so attentive? Yes. She’s amazing.

“Thank you. You’re a good friend.”

“Just because I waited on a bench?” She gives me a funny look. A cross between a frown and something happy.

“No. You’re always there for me. It doesn’t matter if I travel to the other side of the world, you’ll take my call.”

“That’s because we’re family.” Her smile is warm, and it’s good to hear her speak fondly of our bond, but maybe I don’t want her to think of me like a sister. Have my feelings begun to change, or is this injury doing strange things to my head?

“I’m lucky to have you.”

“Since when did you become all sentimental? Are you feeling okay?” She touches my forehead.

I shake her off. “I’m fine. Just thinking out loud for once.”

She rubs my shoulder. “You’re a big softy at heart.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

She wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. “You don’t have to pretend with me.” The contact makes my insides do strange things. At first, I try to fight it, but then I welcome the love she’s offering by returning the hug.

“Okay, I’m ready to feed the ducks now.”

She gives me a knowing look, which I ignore. I’m not going soft or rethinking my cold apartment. My leg is the problem, not my life. All this is a glitch that will mend itself.

We walk to the waterfront and Lara breaks up the bread. I hold onto the rail while leaning into it for support. Taking a handful of crumbs, I throw them out onto the lake. The ducks immediately swim over and start gobbling it up. Scooping up more pieces, I chuck another handful into the lake, followed by another and another until we’re clean out.

A guy starts throwing seeds and the ducks move on to their next meal ticket.

“Fickle little creatures,” I mumble.

“You and the ducks aren’t so different. You’re both looking for the next big adventure, or food parcel in their case.”

“I like trying new things and wouldn’t question what someone was feeding me. Unlike you who lives on nuts and raisins.”

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