Page 61 of Fragile Kiss (Fragile 2)
The intensity of her stare at the pizza box was almost frightening. “What kind is it?”
“I got cheese, so you can eat as much as you want.”
“I want the whole box.” She was instantly in the chair beside Andrew, a thick slice in her hand. She let out a moan as she tore her bite off, steam flowing from it like smoke.
“Is it too hot?” Cayden asked.
She nodded emphatically, inhaling and exhaling through her teeth before swallowing. Cayden took a bite of his own piece. “This smell is enough to wake Andrew, I think.”
Lillian’s eyes locked on her piece of pizza. A tear fell down her cheek.
“Oh, dang. I’m sorry, Lil. I shouldn’t have...” He trailed off when she shook her head. “What is it?”
“I just forgot to eat anything until now,” she blurted, the floodgates opening in her eyes. “I never thought I would be so hungry.”
“Don’t stop eating now!” Cayden reached over and tucked
her hair behind her ear. “You aren’t alone here anymore. I’ll make sure we all get through this.”
Making a terrible face, she nodded and devoured the rest of her piece. The colors came back to her face slowly but surely, much to Cayden’s relief. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Even sleep-deprived and empty-stomached, she was unspeakably breathtaking.
She caught him looking at her, his pizza still in hand. “Are you lost?”
He looked down at his uneaten slice. “Oops.”
“You have some cheese,” she pointed at his chin, “there.”
Swiping the back of his hand across his chin, he saw a strand of cheese on his skin. “Thanks,” he said, wishing she could have removed it herself with her mouth instead.
Lillian took the last bite of her pizza and with a satisfied sigh leaned back, hugging her knees. She locked her eyes on Andrew, but Cayden saw the same absent look on her face. She wasn’t really looking at Andrew; she was somewhere else. He didn’t say anything, letting her have her food coma moment.
“You know Amelia was in this same hospital?” she asked quietly after a little while.
“No, I didn’t know that,” he replied, closing the pizza box.
“She was in this hospital for the exact same reason. Except her accident was worse. Stupid drunk. I don’t know which is worse, a drunk driver or an asshole who ran a red light.”
“I’m so sorry, Lil. I wish I could have met her.”
“She would have liked you,” Lillian breathed. “She would never have allowed me to let you go.”
Cayden’s heart thumped. “You think?”
Lillian nodded.
“So...” he took a breath. “So why did you?”
“I don’t think I’m good enough for you.” He could barely hear her.
“But you are.”
“I have too much baggage. I can’t even eat sausage pizza. I freaking love sausage pizza, Cayden. And beer. I freaking love beer.”
He scooted his chair closer. “One day you’ll be well enough to eat sausage pizza and drink beer again.”
“I don’t know if I will. That’s the thing.” Oddly, she didn’t sound upset. “This whole Crohn’s thing is the opposite of easy to get used to, but I think I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that I might not be able to do these things again.”
“Maybe it’s just making room for you to find new things you can do that give you the same joy.” Cayden stopped himself and laughed. “Whoa. I just got philosophical.”
