Page 64 of The Problem with Falling
“I’m sorry I didn’t see your hurt before because I was too busy dealing with my own mess.”
“But you see me now?” she whispered, her voice low, her eyes packed with hope.
“Yes,” I said, “And I won’t stop seeing you from this point on.”
Her hands fell to her chest. “I’ve been so tired. All these years, so tired from putting on a front.”
“I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad about yourself, Willow,” I told her as I rested my arms on top of my kneecaps. “I was just trying to stay away from you.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want you to make me feel the same thing Thalia made me feel before.”
“And what’s that?”
I pushed out a tired smile, which fell almost instantly. “Hope.”
“Hope,” she echoed in a whispered voice. “Hope in what?”
“Humanity.”
She smiled, and my chest tightened from said smile. “You do know what this means, right, Theo?”
“What’s that?”
“We have to officially be friends now.”
I grimaced. “I haven’t had one of those in a long time.”
“That’s okay, friend,” she said as she patted my shoulder. “I’ll show you the ropes.”
CHAPTER 18
Harry
It wasn’t a good week.
I was tired. I was moody. I was breaking.
Normally, I’d be up before Molly began to stir in bed, yet lately she was up and moving around hours before I even considered asking for assistance to leave the bedroom. My pride was shattered, and my manhood felt as if it were being ripped away from me. It was as if everyone in the world were still strong except for me. I felt embarrassed and ashamed of my body for the way it betrayed me.
Especially that morning.
That morning, I didn’t want to get out of bed.
Our anniversary party was the coming Saturday, and I’d been trying my best to be upbeat and good enough for Molly, but I’d be lying if I said my mind wasn’t floating away with me lately. I felt closer to the end of our story than the beginning pages, which broke my heart each time I thought about it.
I wasn’t afraid of death. I was simply afraid of an afterlife without her by my side.
As I was trying to build up enough courage to get out of bed, every now and then, Molly would pop her head into the space and check on me.
The last time she came, she walked over to my side of the bed, bent down, and began to comb her fingers through my white hair. Instant comfort. I shut my eyes and sighed. “Sorry, darlin’. I’m just a bit tired today.”
“That’s okay.” She kissed my forehead before she stood tall again. She walked over to her side of the bed and crawled under the blankets with me. “I’m pretty tired, too.”
I huffed. “You’re not tired.”
“I am if you are. So today we rest.”
