AEDAN
I wasn’t good at this shit.
“I really—” I sighed and broke off. “I really like her. When I’m with her, I feel—“
I broke off again and shook my head. Maybe this had been a bad idea. I’d been hitting the bag at the gym, not long after Sylvie left, when it’d suddenly hit me that he and I needed to have this conversation. And once I thought of it, I couldn’t get it out of my head.
“Sylvie is...she really cares about other people. Even me. Christ knows why. And she makes me feel—she makes me a better person.” Jesus, that sounded stupid. I kicked the bed, which made more noise than I’d expected. “Shit. Sorry.”
Alec didn’t respond.
I stared at his motionless body. “Why am I talking to you? You can’t even hear this.”
I sat there in silence for a few seconds, listening to the hiss and bleep of the machines. This is stupid! But at the same time, it felt right. And God knows, it was about time I did something right.
“What I wanted to say was...I want to be with her. All the time. Like, long-term, into the future. I haven’t told her that part yet. I’m crazy about her. I’ll take care of her. I promise.”
Alec lay there impassively. But I still felt better.
I stood up. “I gotta go,” I told him. “Sylvie’s going to cook.” I checked my watch and realized I’d better hurry. She’d be home by now, waiting for me.