Chapter 33 #2
“Yup, you’re welcome,” Jayden replies tersely as he backtracks toward Finley and begins to usher her out with his hand firmly anchored at the bottom of her spine.
“See you later, Elijah,” she peers back into the room while he continues without a backward glance.
I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t feel anything. Jayden and I don’t typically hi and bye.
Except today it irks me.
Without him and Finley here I'm untethered and... alone. Like my safety blanket has been torn away from me when Lex begins to pace the length of my bed.
“Can you sit? The pacing’s making me giddy.”
He pauses, spinning to look at me while I finish the last of my water and his thumbs continue tap-tapping away on his phone.
“Excuse me while I smooth over the mess those two have made.” His eyes narrow on mine. “What’s going on, Eli? What’s the deal between the three of you?”
I freeze, clutching the bottle in my hand as I figure out what to tell him. Hell, I’m figuring out what to tell myself at this point because... What is happening?
Sitting up, I attempt to get out of bed, only for my body to buckle. Frustration and exhaustion cloud over me. My muscles are weak and my reflexes are lagging.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he mutters, his arm coiling around me as he helps me onto the chair he moved beside the bed earlier.
Then he pockets his phone and sits on the edge of the bed facing me. “This migraine... this episode was different from the others.”
“It didn’t feel different. I thought I could sleep it off and—”
“You should’ve seen a doctor sooner.” He levels me with an unwavering glare.
“Stop staring already,” I mutter, picking off some of the dried blood on my skin, next to the cannula. “Just tell me what’s wrong with me.”
A loud exhale flares his nose when he finally diverts his worried gaze to the floor. “The Neurologist said everything came back normal. He called it a hemiplegic migraine.”
“Hemiplegic? What does that mean?”
“It means that it’s a migraine with severe aura and stroke-like symptoms. It means you need to avoid stress and rest more.”
“I do. I eat clean like the nutritionist recommended to avoid migraines. Every advice I’ve been given, I’ve followed.”
“I know.” Lex sits taller. “Which is why I am worried about you.”
“There’s no need to worry, they’re just migraines. I’m fine…” I shrug down at my lap even though I’m terrified that I’ll end up here again in the future.
“What about stress? There’s a lot going on. Big expectations and—” He pauses with a weary sigh. “—whatever is going on between the three of you… you, the girl, Morrow…”
“Nothing,” I reply too quickly. “We’re friends.”
“Really? Because they don’t act like basic friends. You care about her, she cares about you… and Morrow. There are photos of them together. Touchy feely photos.” When I don’t say anything, he asks, “So whose girl is she?”
Ours. It’s on the tip of my tongue. Ready to roll right out when I snap my mouth shut and swallow it down. Because Finley can’t be mine and Jayden’s. Can she?
“Eli.” I meet his tight stare. “Think about it. Think about her. Think about Morrow. Think about them.”
I do.
All the time.
Since the moment I saw them together, I can’t stop thinking about the two of them. The way they laugh with each other. How he makes her smile, and she surprises him with her quick wit. I think about how the air feels when they’re together, next to me.
Hot and thick; so that I’m in a constant haze.
Jayden and Finley are good together, and I like it. It’s natural.
“So?” Lex asks.
“Finley’s mine and—”
“Morrow?” His brow cocks.
I swallow hard, staying quiet.
“Talk to me about him.”
“We’re friends.”
Leveling me with a knowing stare, he chuckles, “So was Finley all but a few seconds ago. Now she’s yours.”
“Jesus, Lex—”
“He’s your work husband; you spend a lot of time with him… sometimes… I mean, it’s normal for wires to get crossed. For sentiments to shift.”
Finley’s remark is all that comes to mind as Lex’s words settle.
Jayden loves you.
The reality is that even if I never admit it, I know it’s true. I think I knew it before she said it. And I was sure of it before he caught me in his arms and he held me...
“Whatever is going on between the three of you…” Lex sighs.
“…make sure it’s worth the fallout that will come of it.
There’s only so much I can protect you from, but I promise you now what I promised you the first time you walked into my office—there is nothing I won’t do to get you to where you need and want to be.
There is no way my will won’t clear for you. Got it?”
He offers me his hand, when I grip it, he twists our palms into each other pulling me forward in my seat as he leans in with a low chuckle.
“You were meant to be the easy child.” With that he pushes to his feet, focusing on his phone while he goes back to pacing the length of the window.
The weight of the world eases off my shoulders for a moment, allowing me to breathe again when he starts talking hockey like that’s been the conversation the whole time.
Nothing has changed.
I’m still me. Lex is still Lex.
That fills me with more hope than I’ve felt in years. Like the universe is suddenly opening its doors for me, and the possibilities are as endless as he’s always promised.