Page 31 of When He Saved Me
Boo
Want me to come over?
Nah. No need to get you sick too
She didn’t respond after that, so I spent some time scrolling TikTok, but before too long, my eyes got heavy, so I set my phone aside and fell asleep again.
Sometime later, I woke to the feeling of being jostled as someone climbed into bed with me. I immediately recognized Carmen’s perfume and relaxed, though I wasn’t sure how I felt about being only in my underwear. We were both gay, but still…I’d never been nearly naked in bed with anyone. Too tired to give it any more thought, I scooched over to make some room.
“What are you doing here, CiCi? I told you I didn’t want you to get sick,” I mumbled.
“Shh. No one should have to be alone when they’re sick. Go back to sleep.” My chills were back, so even though part of me wanted to kick her out, I couldn’t resist snuggling into her warmth.
“How did you know I was alone?” I asked.
“You said your parents were assholes, so I guessed.”
A massive shiver rolled through me as I responded, “I think my exact words were that my parents are pieces of shit.”
“Hang on,” she said as she climbed back out of bed. I pulled the covers around me as I continued to shiver in the bed. She returned with a glass of water and a couple more Tylenol. “Here, take these,” she said, handing me the pills and water. I swallowed them before handing the water back to her to place on my side table.
She climbed back into the bed with me, again pulling the covers over us and draping her arm over me.
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Eh, you love me anyway.”
We lay there for a moment, my chills slowly subsiding as I absorbed some of her warmth.
“Thanks, CiCi,” I whispered.
“You’re welcome, sweets.”
CHAPTER16
FINN
I wasn’tsure what had possessed me to volunteer to hang out with Jamie’s mom. Carmen gave me a smug smile when I told her, which I ignored. All I knew was that when I saw the panic on Jamie’s face, I hadn’t even thought before offering. Jamie had always struck me as kind of go-with-the-flow, yet yesterday I’d first seen him frustrated, then stressed, and all I knew was that I wanted nothing more than to see him back to his usual chill, happy self. I hated that I’d been responsible for the frustration, but at least there was something I could do about the panic.
I arrived at the Felton residence promptly at eleven a.m. Walking up the steps to the door, I was struck by an intense bout of nerves. My stomach fluttered with butterflies and my hands were sweaty, despite the cold December air. I’d come over here last night intending to apologize, to make things right after I’d shut him out Saturday night. What I hadn’t expected was forhimto apologize tome.And I certainly hadn’t expected his impassioned declaration about his feelings toward me. It had unnerved me, but surprisingly, rather than making me want to flee, it’d made me want to stay. I’d wanted to know what it felt like to be cared for so intensely, and for the first time in my life, I’d wanted to take a risk. But now, in the bright light of day, I wondered if Jamie would still feel the same way. Or would he regret everything?
Just as I was about to knock, Jamie opened the door with a huge smile. He was so damn beautiful. I was relieved to see that smile again, and my nerves melted away.
“Hey, you!” He leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek before moving aside so I could step through the door. “Mom is asleep at the moment. She was up for a bit this morning, but ever since her infection, she tires even easier than before.” He took my coat and hung it on the hook by the door before leading me to the kitchen. “There’s some soup in the fridge that Aunt Cathy brought over, so that would probably be good to heat up for lunch. Her appetite can be kind of iffy, but she should at least try to eat something so she can take her pills.” He gestured to those sitting out on the counter. After going over the instructions for her meds, he picked up his backpack and headed toward the door.
He turned to me as he pulled on his coat and said, “Thanks again for coming over today. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Nevertheless…” He leaned in, pressing his lips to mine and holding them there for a moment before pulling back. “I’d really like to continue where this is going, but I’ve got to get going. Stay for dinner with us tonight?”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
He gave me another one of his bright smiles. “Great! See you tonight!”
I shut the door behind him and made my way into the living room, carrying my messenger bag with me. Sitting on the couch, I pulled out my AirPods and selected a playlist, making sure to keep the volume low enough that I could hear Mrs. Felton if she needed me. I then pulled out my notebook and began to write.
For the next hour, I lost myself in the act of putting words on the page. The last week had been absolute insanity, so I’d barely had time to put pen to paper. Today, as I wrote word after word and line after line, it felt good to finally pour my thoughts and feelings out on the page.
