Page 105 of Forever Love

I knock on the door with my elbow.

“Come in.”

I swing the door open and her eyes go wide.

“Expecting someone else?” I ask with a smirk.

I need to immediately put this in a playful, shit-giving place if I want her to let me stay.

She narrows her eyes, and I’m surprised to see the tiniest bit of trouble in them. “Yeah, I ordered a stripper a while ago. He should be here by now. Unless you’re moonlighting.”

“Sorry, I did not take a second job as a stripper, but I do have milkshakes and French fries.”

“Very well. You may sit.” The second I sit down on the bed, she holds out her hand. “Gimme.”

I choke back a laugh. “Easy, pregosaurus.”

“So, to what do I owe the honor of your company?”

“Well, you aren’t talking to anyone else. I figured I might as well try my luck.” She looks down, suddenly fascinated by swirling a fry in her milkshake. “I told you to be careful with him, Leigh. That you had the power to destroy him.”

She snorts and rolls her eyes. “You’re here for Nick.”

“No. I’m here for you.”

She glances at me but doesn’t say anything. She pulls the fry from her milkshake and shoves it in her mouth.

“Look, the two of us don’t pull punches with each other, right? I mean, you threatened me while I was in a hospital bed and could only move four inches.”

She smiles at me. “That was fun.”

“You know what isn’t fun? Watching you do the same stupid shit I did.”

Her brow furrows and her eyes fill with anger. She’s ready for war.Good.At least if she screams at me, I’ll know she has some fight left.

“I’m nothing like you,” she sasses.

I grab a fry, dunk it in my milkshake, then stuff it in my mouth. “Let’s check the scorecard. About to be a teen parent. Pretending your relationship is stronger than it is. Going through something incredibly difficult. Pushing the people who love you away and isolating yourself.” I pretend to count on my fingers and she slugs me hard in the shoulder. “Don’t pretend I’m wrong. You know I’m not.”

I grab another fry and drag it through my milkshake.

“I’m not nearly as much of a basket case as you were.”

“Yet,” I counter. “But if you keep shutting everyone else out, that’s where you’re going to end up.” I set my milkshake down and turn to face her. “I know from experience that pushing people away will not keep you safe. It doesn’t protect you or them. It hurts everyone.”

“It’s not that easy. Trusting other people right now feels like giving them license to break my heart one day. And don’t even get me started on the guilt. You have no idea—”

“I have no idea? No idea about guilt? I spend most of my time navigating through a sea of it while you’re standing in a puddle.”

Her eyes flare, but she softens. “So, how do you deal with it?”

“One day at a time. And with some help from a therapist. It’s not easy to face the hard shit, Leigh. I know that better than anyone. I spent almost a year of my life avoiding it. I didn’t come around the people I loved because I felt guilty and lost. And then I was just hurting and alone. Look where it got me. I don’t want that to be you. Mostly because you’re way stronger than me. The way you’re acting lately—it’s not you. My shit was par for the course. But you? You’re strong. Fierce. You love so hard. Don’t let go of that because something broke your heart. Lean into it. Love harder. Let that heal you.”

Her eyes twitch as she stares at me. She dips another fry into the milkshake, never dropping my gaze. She pops it in her mouth, then chews thoughtfully, still staring at me. “When the hell did you get so wise?”

“I told you, that tree I hit must’ve had some superpowers.” She rolls her eyes again.Maybe we’re getting somewhere. “Or maybe it’s therapy. Hard to say.”

“I hate it when things hurt. It’s like I feel too deeply or I don’t feel anything at all. Not feeling anything starts to sound appealing.”

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