Julian
She’s sitting outside my apartment when we get back.
Leti’s still in that black dress that looks way too good on her, her hair a mess of waves falling past one shoulder and mascara smeared across her eyes and down her cheeks.
This is the last place I thought I’d find her after what happened tonight.
“Am I hallucinating, or are you really here?”
“That depends on who you think I am.” She moves to rise to her feet, and belatedly I reach down to offer my hand. Gratefully, she takes it. Wet, red-rimmed eyes fill with concern as she looks me over. “How are you feeling? Before you even think about it, don’t lie to me.”
“I’m fine, Leticia, I swear. Just exhausted, which is inconvenient for a concussed person dreaming of hours and hours of uninterrupted sleep.
” I’m about to say more, ask her why she’s here and if she was crying because of what her brother said or the fight we got into or both, when Andrew and Diego turn a corner, coming into view.
When we got to the parking lot, Diego held him back so they could come up with a plan for tonight.
As it turns out, I am allowed to sleep, but the doctor said it’d be best if someone stayed with me overnight to wake me every few hours and check on my basic cognitive abilities.
Despite us making up, Diego was wary of leaving Andrew and me alone for the night in case another argument broke out between us that could potentially aggravate my injury.
“What are you doing here?” Andrew asks Leti as they stop beside us.
“I don’t want you staying with him tonight.” She faces her brother. “Don’t argue with me on this. I don’t care if you’ve already made up. It’s not a good idea, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone with him.”
“I was planning on staying with them tonight,” Diego cuts in before Andrew has a chance. “We figured we could take turns waking up to check on Julian, that way both of us get some sleep.”
“I’ll do it,” Leti says, surprising everyone. “I’m not going to get any sleep tonight anyway.”
“Fine,” Andrew says, and I know the only reason he’s agreeing is because he feels guilty. “I’ll stay with Kayla tonight. Give everyone some space to cool down.”
“That’s probably for the best.” Cool down? There’s little chance of that when Leti’s glare is ice cold on her brother. “Bye, Andrew.”
Head hanging low, he turns on his heel back to his car.
Sensing the awkwardness all around, Diego quickly jumps in with my doctor’s care instructions.
“We were told to wake him every two to three hours and ask him simple questions like his name and what day it is to check for signs of amnesia and disorientation. If he needs pain medicine, he’s only allowed to take Tylenol.
Andrew said he has some in his bathroom, but I can run to CVS and grab some if need be.
Also, make sure he drinks plenty of fluids.
He threw up earlier tonight, so we have to keep him hydrated. ”
“Got it.” Leti nods at Diego. “I’ll wake him every two hours, ask probing questions, and keep him full of fluids. Let me check if Andrew has that Tylenol.”
“No rush. Elena was planning on staying the night at your place while I was here, so I’ll join her upstairs instead. Call us if you need the medicine, or anything else.”
Leti turns to me as Diego heads upstairs. “Come on, fight club.” Her arm wraps around my back with support I don’t need, not that I’m about to tell her that. “Let’s get you inside.”
“You really don’t mind staying with me tonight?” I ask her now that we’re alone. “Because you don’t have to do this. Andrew and I are cool. Plus, Diego—”
“I’m sure,” she says as we step inside. “How’s your head? Do you need that Tylenol yet?”
“No headache, I swear,” I say as she settles me on the couch. Then she walks into Andrew’s bedroom. A minute later, she steps back out with the pill bottle. She places it on the coffee table and then goes into the kitchen and grabs a bottled water from the fridge. “Leti, I’m fine.”
“Drink.” She hands me the water. “Doctor’s orders.” I take the bottle from her, opening the cap before I take a sip. “Not too fast,” she says as I gulp the liquid down. “Easy. I’m not cleaning up if you puke again.”
“You heard about that?”
“About you ruining Andrew’s two-hundred-dollar sneakers?” She snorts. “Oh yeah. I heard. Nice job, by the way.”
“So petty.” I’m pretty sure I’m staring up at her with awe.
After a beat, she clears her throat and motions for me to drink again.
I take a slow sip before putting the water down on the coffee table.
“Where are we sleeping?” There’s only one couch, but we don’t necessarily need to stay in the same room.
She can take Andrew’s room or the couch, and I can sleep in my own bed tonight.
“Your room,” she says easily, pulling out her phone. “I’ll sleep on the floor. Let me text Bella to bring down some pajamas for me.”
“You can’t sleep on the floor.”
“It’s carpet.” She shrugs. “I’ll steal a pillow and blanket from Andrew.”
“You are not sleeping on my floor.” I give a vehement shake of my head and she flinches on my behalf as a spike of white-hot pain nearly blinds me.
“Thank you,” I say as she hands me the pill bottle.
Once I’ve swallowed down the medicine with some water, I say, “I want you to be comfortable. It’s my fault you have to stay up with me. ”
“No. It’s mine,” she says, her eyes sad before she shakes her head, clearing her expression. “Which is why I’m not letting you out of my sight. You have a full, right? That’s big enough for both of us. I mean, if you don’t mind sharing—”
“I don’t,” I say quickly. Probably too quickly.
“Good,” she says, giving away nothing in her expression for how she feels about spending the night in my bed. “Your room it is.”
I change clothes, take out my contacts, and finish off the bottled water in my room when Bella arrives with a bag for Leti, giving us both time to get ready for the long night ahead of us.
She knocks on my door as soon as I’ve finished dressing.
When I call for her to come in, she emerges with her hair swept up in a messy bun, face bright and clear of makeup, though her eyes are still slightly red from crying.
She’s wearing gym shorts and a white tank top to sleep in.
“All right, looks like we’re ready to sleep,” she says, her eyes passing over my pajama pants and oversize T-shirt. “I’ll wake you up in two hours to truck, cabin, spoon you.”
“Run that back by me. I think my injury’s acting up again.”
“You never watched Grey’s Anatomy?”
The reference slides smoothly into place as I recall the Alzheimer’s episode.
Patients were told the three words and asked to recite them back to Dr. Grey after a few minutes to check their memory.
The concept is slightly different from what my doctor advised, but I understand Leti’s point just the same. “Ah, yes, I have.”
“Name?” She looks at me expectantly, and I guess we’re starting now.
“Julian Gutierrez,” I say seriously.
“What day is it?”
“October fifteenth, your brother’s birthday.”
“Wrong.” She holds up her phone, the lock screen displaying the time. “It’s past midnight, which means it’s October sixteenth now.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be that person.” I fake a wince. “My poor, injured head can’t take it.”
“Fine by me. I’ll drive you back to the hospital.” She huffs. “In fact, I might feel better if you were being watched over by doctors all night.”
I frown at her as I flop onto the bed. “You’re no fun.”
“How about my name?” she continues.
“Devil woman.”
“Close enough. The alarm is officially set.” She turns off the overhead light and slides onto the mattress next to me. “Good night.”
When I shut my eyes, it’s not hard to drift to sleep.
Still, it’s difficult to say if I ever truly fall asleep or if I remain in that hazy, half-awake state that blurs the lines between dreaming and reality.
I’m lying on my side, her body warm beneath the arm wrapped around her waist, the steady sound of her breath lulling me to sleep.
I’m far too comfortable with Leticia in my arms when that damn alarm jolts us both awake.
“Fucking hell.” She rolls away from me to shut off the sound. “God, were we cuddling?”
“You started it,” I say, not bothering to open my eyes before I reach for her again. “But I don’t mind. Come here.”
She huffs but doesn’t fight it as she returns to my side. My arm slides up her back and into her silky hair. Sometime in the night, her bun fell apart.
“What’s your name?”
My eyes are still closed, but I feel her gaze warming the side of my face. When I don’t answer, she shakes my arm.
“J…come on. Answer the question.”
“Julian Gutierrez.”
“No middle name?”
“My head might be a little fuzzy, but you’re gonna need more than that to pry that information from me, woman.”
Another huff. “What day is it?”
“The day after Andrew’s birthday from hell,” I say, nuzzling my chin over the crown of her head. “October sixteenth.”
“And what events transpired to make this the birthday from hell?”
“He caught us on the porch, said the shittiest thing possible to you that made me want to punch his stupid mouth, and then I did.” I breathe in her scent, and her body trembles beneath me. “Should we talk about what happened? With us?”
“Not yet,” she says. “But we’ll need to soon. After you get better.”
“Worried about what I might say to you with my head all fucked up like this?”
She pulls away slightly to better face me, and I finally open my eyes. Even in the semidark, I can make out her furrowed brows and the frown pulling her mouth down.
“I get it. If I told you how I felt about you now, you wouldn’t believe me. You’d blame it on this stupid concussion, wouldn’t you? Anything to avoid the truth staring you straight in the face. Isn’t that right, Leticia?”
She pulls in a ragged breath, eyes shining with an emotion I can’t read.