Page 72 of Revive Me

She cocks her head, wearing that same familiar look of patience that she wears during our sessions. When she speaks, her voice is gentle, but firm.

“Roman, I’m not being your PT. I’m being a human who cares about you and wants to help.”

When I meet her eyes and see the truth in them, I swallow thickly and nod. I should know by now that any offer from Lily is genuine. That knowledge is what makes me move to the passenger side of her car and transfer into the seat.

23

LILIANA

Roman is tense. I can feel it in the air, can see it in the stiff way he transfers into the passenger seat, even though I’ve seen him do the move a million times and know it’s as natural for him as breathing by now.

So once I’ve loaded his wheelchair into the back of my car, I focus all my effort on making him feel as comfortable as possible.

I’m already humming to myself as I settle in the driver’s seat and start scrolling through the music on my phone. Based on Roman’s walkout song, I think I know what kind of music he likes, but that’s not the vibe I’m going for.

After a 2000s punk rock station starts playing through the speakers, I turn to Roman.

His mouth quirks with amusement. “Reliving our teenage years, are we? Should I be picturing you looking like Avril Lavigne in high school?”

I only press my lips together in answer. Which only makes a loud laugh burst out of him.

“Oh my God, you’re serious. I was totally kidding. Did you do the pink hair and everything?”

I press my lips harder, and his laugh becomes louder.

“Well, what didyoulook like?” I demand with a glare and shove at his shoulder. “What was your weird teenage phase? Because we all had one, so don’t you dare lie that you didn’t.”

He’s still chuckling as he responds. “I was a six-foot string bean the first half of high school. My eyesight’s also really bad, so until I got Lasik as a fighter, I had to wear glasses. I wasn’t exactly popular.”

I smile at the image that conjures in my mind. But then I latch on to one part of his answer and say, “Wait, you said first half of high school. What did you look like in the second half?”

His grin drips with arrogance. “That’s when I started training, remember, Liliana? By junior year, I was tallandjacked, contacts instead of glasses, and I had finally stood up to the guy who had bullied me since freshman year. Took his place as the most popular guy in school.”

For a moment, I only stare at him. Then I let out a heavy breath and grumble, “You aresoannoying.” I shove my phone into his hands. “Put your address in before I channel my teenage hatred of the popular guys and leave you on the side of the road.”

He’s still laughing when we pull out of the parking lot.

The ride is just as easy as dinner was. Between surprising him with Trivia Night—something I had no idea how he would react to—and sitting down in a place where there were zero expectations or responsibilities for either of us, I wasn’t 100% sure how tonight would go. I could onlyhopeI would get this version of Roman.

The version that’s relaxed, that makes jokes and lets himself be the witty, playful man that he naturally is.

The person he isoutsideof being a fighter.

By the time we near his neighborhood, my face muscles hurt from laughing at Roman’s out-of-tune rendition of whatever songs have come up on my playlist. I have to lower the volume to be able to focus on the houses we’re passing.

“This neighborhood is so cute,” I comment, looking around. “I’ve never been around here.”

“What kind of place do you live in?” he asks curiously.

“Two-bedroom apartment with Garfield and my best friend. It’s tiny, but I like the coziness.”

It’s at that moment that my GPS signals our arrival, and when I turn into the driveway, a cottage appears in my line of sight.

I frown as I lean over the steering wheel. “Is that part of your property?”

He nods and unbuckles his seatbelt as I put the car in park. “It’s my mom’s house.” He hesitates before adding, “Since she’s my only family, I obviously needed her help after my accident. But I didn’t want to completely blow up her life, so when I went house hunting, I only looked at houses with a pool house or in-law suite.”

My chest warms. “That’s so sweet,” I say softly. “I bet she really appreciated that.”

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