Page 73 of Xavier

Taking the chance, I reached up to ruffle his hair in the way I always did with my brothers. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a sour patch kid?”

He batted my hand away, though his expression was more bemused than anything. “What’s that even mean?”

“First you’re sour,” I said, reciting the commercial. “Then you’re sweet.”

“Funny,” he said, fighting hard to not crack a smile.

“I really am, aren’t I?”

Once we got up to the counter and paid for the bouquet, we wandered around the shop for a few more minutes before braving the crowds and heading back up to Xavier’s floor. By the time we arrived, Dexter’s stepfather was passed out in his chair while his mother scrolled on her phone, popping her head up as soon as we entered.

She eyed the flowers in my hand warily but said nothing when I placed them down onto the bedside table to Xavier’s left hand side. They looked nice against the rather drab colored room, bringing a little bit of life to the place despite the somber mood.

Dexter dragged a chair over for me to sit in, pulling his own right alongside mine.

“And now we wait,” he mumbled to me, settling back into his chair.

I sighed in agreement.

Hopefully, not for long.

CHAPTER 28

Xavier

Faint voices werewhat broke through the darkness surrounding me. They were hard to make out, the words blurring together with one another while the tones were stilted and disfigured.

I concentrated on them, trying to pull myself up from the void that had swallowed me, figuring that following it would lead me back into the light.

“You should go.”One of them was a little more distinct—closer, maybe. “It’s the holidays.”

“But what about you?”Younger sounding.

Where even was I?

Nothing around me looked familiar. Or rather, I couldn’tseeanything that looked familiar.

Had that fire blinded me?

Going in with no gear on had been stupid, I’d give myself that much. The thing about blazes catching so quickly and with civilians inside—elders at that—seconds could mean life or death.

Choosing to go in there with no plan aside from listening to the sheer adrenaline pumping through my veins was what saved those two. At least, that’s what I’d like to hope. I’d passed out before I could make sure they were both taken to the ER.

Shit.

Was Idead?

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you guys if anything changes.”That voice again. Something else was distorted, hard to piece together while I concentrated on the voices that were drowned out by a subtle beeping sound.

Someone sighed.

“Are you sure?”A woman’s voice this time.

Something squeezed my hand. I looked down at it—couldn’t see it.

“Yeah, all good. Hope you guys have a good rest of your Christmas.”

Christmas?

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