Page 43 of Stuck with my Guarded MVP
I looked at Liam. His face didn’t move, but his entire body exhaled. Like whatever string had been holding him up finally let go.
“It’s not Huntington’s,” Maeve continued. “They don’t know what it is yet, but… we know one thing it’s not.”
Liam still hadn’t said anything. Just sat there, breathing slowly, his hands curled into fists.
I reached out and pressed the speaker button off. Lifted the phone to my ear.
“Maeve, that’s the best news we could’ve gotten today,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “Let’s stay in touch, okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay.”
I clicked the phone off.
And suddenly, the whole apartment felt different.
I didn’t realize how tightly I’d been holding my breath until I leaned into Liam’s side and let my forehead rest against his shoulder.
“I’m so relieved,” I whispered.
Then caught myself. Pulled back an inch. “I mean, you should be the one relieved. Sorry.”
He didn’t say anything. Just looked at me. Then, gently, he pulled me into an awkward sort of side hug.
It wasn’t tight. It wasn’t long.
My arms stayed at my sides, stunned into stillness.
I caught the clean, subtle scent of soap and something earthy, like cedar and sun. My breath caught before I could stop it.
“I’ve never been so happy to know what disease it’s not,” he said into my hair.
I nodded into his shoulder, still holding the phone in one hand like I didn’t know what to do with it.
Eventually, I leaned back.
A little awkward.
Cleared my throat. “Here’s your phone.”
He took it, our fingers brushing for a second too long.
I squeezed his forearm once, grabbed the shopping bag and stood. “I’ll put this in the fridge,” I said, giving us both a breath. As I moved to the kitchen, he exhaled, leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.
We were both tired,so we ate quietly, cleaned up, and called it a night.
Of course, I couldn’t sleep.
And everyone knows that going to the balcony to stare at the constellations helps when you're trying to clear your head. Or feel something. Or remember how small we all are.
Okay. Maybe that was just me.
I slid the door open quietly and stepped out into the night. The air was cooler than I expected. I wrapped my arms around myself trying to keep myself warm. I looked up, searching for Orion because that's what I always looked for first.
A minute later, I heard the balcony door open.
Liam.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just came to stand beside me at the railing, close enough that our arms might’ve touched if I shifted even slightly.
