Page 82 of Revive Me

After a moment…

Liliana: Do you trust me?

I don't even hesitate.

Roman: You know I do.

Roman: I'll be there tonight with pink flamingos on, Doc.

* * *

By the time I enter the clinic a few hours later, I've managed to come down from the high of Lily texting me—which is insane, because we've been randomly texting for weeks now, and my brain definitelyshouldn'ttemporarily lose mental capacity every time her name pops up on my phone—and figured out what she's probably planning.

Aquatic therapy.

I know she noticed my nerve pain last time I was here. I couldn't hide it very well; not that I even feel the need to hide anything from her these days. She knows anyway; plus, it’s a relief to be 100% honest with someone. The nerve pain isn’t new, but I haven’t had a bad case of it in a while. I got used to the usual sensations that come with an incomplete spinal cord injury—the tingling, burning, pins and needles—but I think with our increased training, my body is protesting. I’ve barely been able to sleep the past week from the pain. I thought about drowning it with booze, like I have in the past, but…I don’t want to do that anymore.

I don’t know if being in a pool will help, but I’ll try anything.

And even if it doesn’t…seeing Lily in a swimsuit might.

I try to not-so-obviously check her out as I approach her in the clinic. She’s waiting for me, towels in her hands. I take in her clothes, trying to see if she has that knotted string around her neck that always gives away when a girl is wearing a string bikini, clearly in denial about what professional swim attire probably looks like.

“You better be wearing flamingos under those joggers,” she says with a disappointed glare at my legs.

Sighing, I stop in front of her and pull up my shirt to expose the waistband of my shorts.

And I delight in the way her glare drops and her throat moves in a rough swallow when it also exposes my abs.

“There’s no need to doubt me, Liliana. Haven’t I been a good patient lately?”

Her eyes dart to my face, her cheeks pinkening just a little. “You—I-I mean yes, you’ve been good lately.Patient.You’ve been a goodpatient.”

I don’t bother to control my grin. “Happy to hear it, Doc.”

Flustered, she gestures toward the hallway. “Just…justgo.”

My grin widens. “I don’t know where we’re going. You’re just too entranced by my six-pack to realize that.”

Finally, she sighs as she starts down the hallway. “I didn’t count, but I’m pretty sure that was an eight-pack, Roman.”

“It is. I was trying to be humble.”

She flashes a glare over her shoulder, to where I’m already following her, but there’s a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

She’s already faced forward again when she says, “Why? Cocky looks good on you.”

NowI’mthe one swallowing roughly.

I try to focus on where we’re going before my shorts can get too tight. “Anyway, how are we going to do my PT in the pool if the sight of my abs makes you lose focus?”

Another sigh, this one sounding a little powerless. “No idea. This might be a terrible idea, but…” She turns slightly to look at me again. “I hate that you’re in pain. I thought water might help.”

And just like that, the air sobers.

We’re both quiet as she leads us to the pool. I didn’t even know this place has a pool. Aquatic therapy was suggested to me a few times, but I couldn’t get over needing to be lifted into the water. That, and the general vulnerable feeling of being unable to kick through the water to stay afloat.

When we reach the pool, Lily stops a few feet from the shallow end. Then she turns to face me.

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