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Samuel wipes his eyes. The next half of his story is what Winston needs to hear, yet Samuel can only manage pieces at a time without crumpling to the floor in the pain of his past.
26
EDEN
My hand ships to pat the space in the bed.
Samuel isn’t beside me.
My eyes flutter open, and I moan with a thumping headache. Pressing fingertips to my forehead, I stagger to the bathroom and shower in record time. A few minutes later, I’m throwing ibuprofen down my throat and guzzling water before almost running out the door.
Stepping out into the sunshine, I squint and curse for forgetting my sunglasses. I don’t get far before my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Amy.
“Hey, babe, how are you?”
“You abandoned me at Ethan’s?”
I stop walking, hearing the exasperation in her tone. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she says harshly. “Well, no. My head is full of semi-trucks colliding, and I can’t stop puking. Mum’s pissed because we arranged a family breakfast, but I can’t move, and Ethan is beingsooonice I feel like I’m in another universal dimension. I mean, what the hell is going on? Why am I here and not with you? And why is Ethan so freaking nice? I keep pinching myself like it’s a dream. No… it’s a freaking nightmare.”
A giggle escapes me.
“Are you seriously laughing because I’m stressed and sick and ugh…”
“Do you need me to come over?”
“What are you doing?”
“Walking to Mum’s. I assume Samuel is there with Rose. I woke up only minutes ago to an empty house.”
There’s a muffled sound. “Oh, thanks. You didn’t have to.”
I continue walking.
“Hey. Ethan has brought me breakfast in bed. I’ll chat later.”
“Be nice.”
She’s gone.
I’m grinning, and my body has a sense of weightlessness. She liked Ethan in the beginning, then toward the end of our relationship, something changed. She said something about him grating on her nerves, and she didn’t trust him because he was a flirt. Amy has a good heart, and I feel bad for leaving her with him, and yet I hope it’s a chance for my friends to make amends. They’ve known each other since school. The notion of them getting along gives me peace of mind. I have no animosity toward Ethan and need Amy to lay down her sword.
I open the penthouse door to Samuel speaking. He mentions Wayara. One word and I understand the seriousness of his tone.
“Morning,” I say in a gentle tone to everyone. I lean to give Samuel a kiss and stroke Rose’s cheek. She’s peacefully sleeping in his arms. “Do you want me to hold her?”
Samuel shakes his head. By his anguished expression, she comforts him. “I’m telling your parents about my travels.”
An unusual explanation, yet I say nothing. Mum and Dad are wearing the same shocked expression. “Can I make anyone a cup of tea?”
Everyone declines, and I sense the tension in the room.
Waiting for the kettle to boil seems like hours, not minutes.
“Excuse me.” Samuel leaves the table and places Rose on the Disney Princess sofa bed. She doesn’t stir at all.
