Page 109 of Rumi: The Hawthornes

“We have some questions for you,” Lira said, not unkindly, “But maybe you’d like to tell us what happened first and then we can ask you to clarify anything we’re confused about. How does that sound?”

“Like a root canal,” I answered honestly. “With no numbing shot.”

“We’ll try and make this as easy as possible,” he replied sympathetically.

“It started in the spring…” I tried to tell them everything I remembered, because I thought that maybe if they saw a pattern, they’d be more likely to believe me. The moment I started speaking about the morning Pop had thrown me against the wall, though, Rumi turned into stone beside me. My mouth snapped shut.

“Rum,” I said after a second of silence. “Could you go get me some coffee, baby?”

Rumi jerked in surprise at the endearment. “Coffee?”

“I could use a cup,” I said quietly, squeezing his thigh.

“You need onenow?”

I smiled at the stubborn look in his eye and reached up to cup his cheek. “Give me a few minutes with the nice detectives, yeah?”

“I’m not leavin’ you alone in here—”

“Send Brenna in,” I replied, cutting him off before he could really start arguing. “Or your gram.”

“No fuckin’ way.” The words were sharp.

I was thankful that the detectives didn’t interrupt us, but beyond that, I kind of forgot they were there as I stared into Rumi’s eyes. I’d never seen him so devastated. He was holding it together really well, and I knew he was trying to be strong while I was such a mess, but my best friend was about a hairsbreadth away from losing his composure. If he heard all that had happened in vivid detail, I was afraid it would break him.

“You and me,” I whispered. “I bet we’ll go over all of this a hundred times in the next few years. You’ll hear it all.”

“I know.”

“You don’t have to hear ittonight, Rum,” I said, my hand still on his cheek. “Give yourself a minute to take a breath, yeah?”

“You’renot takin’ a breath,” he argued.

“Do this for me?”

I could actually hear Rumi’s teeth grinding together.

“Fine.”

“Thank you.” Without thought, I tilted my head up toward his for a kiss.

Rumi didn’t disappoint. Slowly and carefully, he laid one on me, barely brushing his lips against mine.

“I’ll go get someone from across the hall,” he ground out as he got off my bed. “You got a preference?”

“Anyone except Nana,” I said as he left the room.

The detectives watched me.

“How long have you two been together?” Kent asked me curiously.

“We’re not. We’ve been best friends since we were thirteen, though.”

Lira leaned against the wall. “Why did you send him out of the room?”

“Because he loves me,” I replied, gingerly leaning back in bed. “And it’ll be almost as hard for him to hear what happened as it was for me to live through it.” I looked at them, kind, but all business in their polo shirts and slacks. “He deserves to hear that story without an audience.”

“I’m here,” Rumi’s mom, Heather, announced as she breezed through the doorway. “Go ahead whenever you’re ready, honey. The sooner you tell them what happened, the sooner all of this shit is behind us.”

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