Page 65 of Laugh

“Happy,” he urges, but still… I just can’t.

“I don’t want to,” I cry into his shirt. His chest vibrates with a low rumble of laughter. Cupping my face, he pulls my head back to look up at him. When he sees that I’ve got my eyes squeezed shut, he barks out a laugh.

“Sweetheart, please. Give me your eyes because I want you to hear what I’m about to say to you.”

I keep myself from sobbing and before I open my eyes, I plead, “I’ll look at you, but I need you to tell me my friend isn’t going to die, Beau. Ineedyou to tell me that.” My words are choked and I’m desperate for him to promise me this.

“Happy,” he whispers, this time with urgency.

Finally, I slowly peer up at him and release a cry when I see it. I see it all over his face. The truth I don’t want to believe.

“Baby, we don’t know what’s going to happen. But what wedoknow is that your best friend is upstairs waiting to spend time with you. Go hang out. Go make jokes or watch a movie. Hell, just sit with him. But spend this time with him. It’ll be good for both of you.”

Digging my teeth into my lower lip to stop it from wobbling, I ask, “You’re not leaving, right? You’ll still be here?”

With a kiss on my forehead, he promises, “I’ll stay with his parents. I’m sure they’ve got some stuff they could use a hand with. Take all the time you want; I’m not going anywhere.”

Pushing up to my toes, I slam my mouth onto his. He grips my arms, then quickly wraps his own around me, pulling me closer. It’s hot and aggressive, exactly what I need to pull myself out of this pit of hell that I feel like I’m falling into.

“Thank you, Beau,” I whisper.

“Captain,” he teases, and that little joke melts my heart.

Giggling, I pull away. “My apologies,Captain.”

I don’t remember the walk up to his room. As I open the door to Marcus’s bedroom, I ignore his frail body and pale skin. Instead, I focus on how his eyes light up when he sees me. That’s what I’m going to concentrate on because Marcus is there, all of him, right there in that glimpse of happiness when he looks at me.

“Well, my friend, you’re quite the asshole, you know that?”

I refuse to give him anything other than the Haddie he’s known since we were in diapers.

“Finally! My God, my parents are going to drive me insane. I need you to come over here as often as possible and save me from the doting pats to my face and my dad doing that whole manly shoulder punch. Poor guy doesn’t do well in these sorts of situations.” Marcus seems happy now that he’s home, and he relaxes into his pillow as he jokes about his parents.

Crawling onto the bed, I shimmy my way over next to him, so the sides of our bodies are pressed against each other.

“Poor Daddy O’Brien,” I tease. “And what do you mean, ‘these sorts of situations’? What, he doesn’t know how to deal with the whole cancer thing?”

Snickering, he shakes his head. “Turns out, it’s new to all of us.”

We’re both quiet for a minute, trying to pretend that we’re okay with what’s going on, but I can’t stop myself when I feel my frustration building. “I’m soangryat you, Marcus! Like, I’m going to freaking make you pay for so many friend-dates when you’re done beating this thing! Because this is absolutebullshit.”

Marcus swallows and nods his head once. “I’ll get you all the fru-fru coffee you want.” Then he looks away. “I know you’re angry at me and I don’t have an excuse other than to say, I was just fucking scared.”

“Why did you wait?” I need to know the answer.

His breathing is heavy as he considers my question. “I… I don’t know. Besides being scared, I knew I’d have to pay the piper eventually.”

Frowning at his words, I try to make sense of them.Pay the piper?“I don’t know what that means.”

“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asks, completely changing the subject.

“Not yet. What do you mean you knew you’d have to pay the piper?”

Marcus tilts his head, confused by my question. “What am I supposed to pay him?”

“You said you had to pay the piper.” I can’t stop the frustration from crossing my face as I repeat myself. Then my heart sinks into my stomach when he blinks a few times and looks at his TV while he picks up the remote.

“Want to watch Anchorman?”

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