Page 77 of True Honey
“It was Cael.” Josh shrugged.
“Cael doesn’t make promises he can’t keep,” both Dean and I sang the tune we had heard from him a million times simultaneously and Josh rolled his eyes at us.
“Sorry if I don’t take anyone's word for it right now,” I said afterward.
“How is he?” Josh asked.
“Pretending like he’s okay but he’s definitely sore. He’s going to need all the help he can get in the coming weeks. He’s going to be in a lot of pain but the hospital is going to get him through the worst of it before we bring him home.”I explained and the two of them nodded at me. “You should go see him again tomorrow, he needs family.”
“Sure, Doc,” Dean tapped his chest.
“Are they home?” I pointed to the basement door.
“Auggie for sure.” Dean shoved a few more fries in his mouth. “Haven’t seen Red.”
“Don’t call her that,” I scowled. “She has a name.”
“Sorry, I haven’t seen Drew.” He corrected himself. “Auggie is out on the back deck, has been for awhile. We bought him food but it’s getting cold.”
“I’ll take it to him.” I grabbed the takeout container off the island and made my way out to the deck to win over the other side of the Courtney duo. If I was going to convince Drew that I was serious about her, about all of this in the way I thought I was, I needed August’s help.
He was laying on his back staring at the stars with his arms underneath his head to get comfy and didn't flinch when I set the container beside him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, tilting my head back.
“Watching the stars,” he answered without acknowledging me but his face curled up in an annoyed expression. “If you’re out here to ask me if you can keep making out with my mom, don’t bother.”
“I—” I opened my mouth and closed it again, rubbing the bridge of my nose between my fingers.
“You aren’t sneaky and my mom was singing in the shower this morning,” August sneered.
“She was?” I smiled, quickly wiping it off my face when he shot me a dirty look.
“You don’t get it do you?” August sat up and stared at me. I could feel his upset in his glare. “Sure it’s all fun for you, but she hasn’t been happy in a long time and if you’re the only reason she’s happy again and you do something to make her sad then she’s going to move us across the country again.” The words came out furious off his lips and he huffed in anger when he finished.
“Whoa, okay.” I squatted down to meet him eye to eye. “What if I told you I was taking this seriously?”
He watched me nervously but didn’t say anything in response to the question.
“I really like your mom, Auggie,” I added to the silence. “I like making her happy enough to sing in the shower,” I said.
“Adults lie,” he countered. “How do I know you aren’t just saying that to take advantage of her?”
“How do you even know how to use that word in context?” I scoffed.
“I’m thirteen! I have basic vocabulary skills.” He grumbled and cursed me under his breath for having to continuously repeat himself.
“Well, I’m not lying,” I said to him, making sure that I sounded as sincere as possible because it was the truth. I liked seeing Drew smile and I wanted to continue that win streak if I could.
“I like it here.” He confessed after a second, his shoulder slumping. “Everyone is nice to me, no one bugs me for not liking sports, I like my teachers, I like Daisy and I like this house.” He turned his head up to the stars again. “I don’t want to leave because you kissed my mom and didn’t mean it.”
I chuckled. “I like this house too. I won’t give your mom a reason to leave and even if I do, I promise to do everything to make her want to stay.”
“We’ve never lived anywhere I can see the stars from the backyard, but they’re so bright here.” He ignored my promise but I could see him thinking about it and that was enough of a win for the evening in my eyes.
“Do you want to see something cool?” I asked him and he turned to look at me again with a small nod. “Come on,” I pushed to my full height and extended a hand to him, when he took it he held onto it for a moment.
“Don’t make my mom cry,” he warned. “I mean it.”
