Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
If Tolliver was actually sick, I didn't want to show up at his house empty-handed.
That would be the worst. So, I made a quick trip to the grocery store first. The aisles seemed endless.
They had everything a sick or healthy person could want, so I scooped up a little here and there.
Arms full, I made my trek to the checkout counter.
On the way, I spotted something that made me pause.
I briefly considered not getting it. But it made me think of Tolliver.
It was probably lame, I thought.
But it was so cute.
Unable to resist, I added one last item to the pile. The cashier quickly rang me up, and before I could lose my nerve, I drove to Tolliver's home.
"Don't overthink it," I said under my breath as I strode to his front door.
I pressed the doorbell.
Totally overthinking all the things.
But luckily, someone answered a few seconds later.
The woman looked to be in her 30s or 40s with dirty blond hair, but those eyes were one hundred percent blue. The deepest, purest blue. Just like her son's. Tolliver's mom stared at me with curiosity.
"Hi," she said, eyeing me up and down. "Are you looking for Hudson?"
"No, ma'am."
"Elle?"
"Actually, I'm here to see Tolliver," I said.
"Oh! Sorry, my daughter's friends drop by all the time—although you don't exactly look like a hockey player."
I wasn't sure how to take that, so I shrugged. "I'm not."
"Hudson's usually the one with girls hanging around. But you're not one of them either." I shook my head, and she smiled. "Thank goodness."
She studied me a moment.
"I don't think Tolliver's ever brought a girl home."
I blushed. "Oh well, honestly, he told me not to come. But when I heard he was sick, I had to make sure he's okay."
"He is," she said, crossing her arms, "sick, I mean. And that's nice of you. What was your name again?"
"Freya"—I shook my head at myself—"sorry, I should've said that before. I'm Freya."
Her eyes widened. "Are you really?"
That was an odd question.
Shaking it off, I said, "Yes, ma'am. Tolliver's my friend—well sort of."
Before I could say anything else, she called over her shoulder, "Hey, honey! Come here a second."
Another person appeared in the doorway, and there was no mistaking who he was.
Even if I hadn’t seen him at the rink, I would know he was Tolliver's father.
The man looked taller up close with the same dark hair, strong jaw, and shelf-like shoulders as his son. The only difference was his eyes. They were a light brown, and when he looked at his wife, they shined like amber.
"What's up?" he said, wrapping an arm around her waist, before turning to study me. "And who is this?"
"This," Tolliver's mom said, "is Freya."
His eyes shot to mine and that smile got even bigger. "Really?"
She nodded.
"What an amazing, unexpected surprise." He held out a hand, and I took it. "I'm Alex, Tolliver's dad. Coach Stone over at the rink. Welcome to our home, Freya. We've heard a lot about you."
"You have?" I squeaked.
"Oh yeah, he talks about you constantly."
Mrs. Stone smacked her husband in the stomach. "Alex."
"Sorry," he said, and that smile was bright, bright, bright.
So much like Tolliver's, it almost hurt to look at him.
"I'm Evelyn," she said, "Tolliver's mom, and we are so happy to meet you, Freya. I'm not sure if you know this, but Tolliver likes violin because of you."
Mr. Stone gave her a droll look. "Too far, E."
"Ignore my husband. He can be—"
"Embarrassing," Elle finished, sidling up next to her parents in the door. "No offense, Dad. You know, I love you."
"None taken," he said.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Nothing," her mom said innocently. "Just saying hi to Freya."
Elle's eyes moved to me. "Were they being embarrassing?"
"No, of course not," I said. "Your parents are awesome."
"She's being overly nice. It's a clear sign something happened."
Hudson came over then, spotted me, and smiled. "He's going to be so happy you're here, Freya."
"Really?" I said with a nervous laugh, suddenly rethinking my whole purpose. "I don't want to make him feel worse."
As the Stones ushered me past the threshold, I was mentally debating whether to stay or go.
"I can just drop this off if you think it would be better."
Hudson shook his head. "Trust me. He wants to see you. The guy's been a mess the past few days."
"Yeah," Elle said, "but fair warning, you might end up sick. It's gone through the whole family. Tolliver was the last to get it."
"And I was first," Eli said proudly, appearing beside the stairs. He grinned at me. "Hey, Freya."
"Hi, Eli," I said.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm—"
"She came to see Tolliver," Hudson cut in.
"Ah, what's in the bag?" Eli nodded to the contents I was holding. "Did you bring me anything?"
"No, sorry," I said.
"Oh."
"But I will next time."
Eli perked up at that, and Elle simply shook her head. "He knew you'd say that. Eli can get anyone to do anything with those puppy-dog eyes."
For his part, Eli just laughed as his siblings guided me up the stairs.
"What about your parents?" I hissed.
"They're cool with it," Hudson said.
"So long as you keep the door open," Elle added.
"Okay." Calling back over my shoulder, I said, "Again, nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Stone."
"You too, Freya," they said in unison.
As their parents headed for the kitchen, I caught a few covert glances thrown our way.
"Do you think they're going to talk about me?" I asked.
"Yeah," Hudson said, and Elle said, "Obviously."
Fantastic.
Once we reached Tolliver's door, they left me there, and I took a deep, fortifying breath.
Then I knocked and cracked the door open.
"Who is it?" Tolliver rasped.
He was on the bed under what looked like a mountain of blankets.
I couldn't even see Tolliver beneath them, but I knew he was there because the pile was moving with each of his breaths.
I glanced around his room, saw a few hockey posters and pictures of his family, a desk across from his four-poster bed, books scattered around the room and his hockey gear in the corner.
But it was basically tidy. So not the typical teen guy, I thought with a grin.
Suddenly, Tolliver threw off the covers, groaning that they were too hot. The only thing that remained over him was his navy blue sheets. He had on a thin white t-shirt and black shorts. His eyes were closed with an arm thrown over his head.
"Hello?" he said again. "Hudson, if it's you wanting to use my tape again, just take it."
"It's not him," I said.
A moment passed.
Tolliver's eyes opened, and he peered from beneath his arm at me.
"Freya?" he croaked.
"Yeah," I said, "is it okay if I come in?"
"I'm probably dreaming."
"No, you're not."
"Dream Freya would definitely say that," he said then sighed. "But I don't care. You're here, and that's all that matters."
With a smile, I stepped into the room, remembering to leave the door cracked behind me. I walked to his bed and took a seat on the edge. Tolliver's eyes followed me the whole time.
"So, I came to make sure you're alright," I explained.
"You shouldn't have," he said.
My heart started to sink.
But then he added, "I don't want you getting sick because of me. Or for any reason, but definitely not me."
"Well, too bad," I said. "You can't tell me what to do."
He smiled. "Real Freya would say that."
"Tolliver, this is real," I said.
"Whatever you say."
When I looked closer, I could tell that his eyes were a little unfocused. "Did you take something?"
"Just some medicine," he said then yawned and pushed the bottom of his palm against his eye. I did that sometimes when I felt pressure building there, but I got the feeling Tolliver was only trying to wake up. "Helps with the symptoms, but it makes the patient sleepy and groggy."
I nodded. "You're a little loopy. Aren't you?"
"Yeah."
Maybe that would make this easier.
"What's in there?"
I followed his eyes to the bag and smiled. "I got you some stuff."
Tolliver smiled too. "I like stuff."
Definitely not all there, I thought while digging into the bag. "Soup," I said, holding up the cans. "I wasn't sure which is your favorite, so I got five different flavors."
"Yum. What else?"
I chuckled then held up the next items. "I got tissues, vapor rub, ginger ale and cough drops."
"What kind?"
"Cherry," I said, and he nodded his approval. "There's some other things, but yeah. That's the gist of it. You can look through the rest later."
Before I could stop him, Tolliver reached into the bag and brought out my final and best find.
The small, stuffed teddy bear had black fur and was wearing a hockey jersey and skates. In one paw, there was a tiny hockey stick. On the front of the jersey, there was a heart, and on the back, it said, "I Love You Bear-y Much." Tolliver stared at the bear. And stared. And kept staring.
Until finally, he looked up and said, "Where'd you find this?"
I shrugged. "At the grocery store."
A beat.
"If you don't like it, I can—"
"Are you kidding? I love this bear," he said, holding it protectively against his chest.
"You do?"
Tolliver nodded. "I love it bear-y much."
I bit back a laugh. "You're really out of it, huh?"
"No...and yes. I just like that you saw this and thought of me."
"I did," I said.
Tolliver went back to studying the hockey bear, and my feelings refused to stay silent.
"I got it because I think I love you."
"Mmm."
"Did you hear me?"
His gaze met mine.
"I love you, Tolliver," I said, feeling like a weight lifted, flew right off my shoulders and into the atmosphere. "I know it may not be the best time to say it. You're sick and possibly delirious, so maybe it's the worst time. But I had to tell you."
Tolliver kept staring at me.
But that was okay. I still had more to say.
"I don't know what you did, but since you accidentally hit me with that basketball, there hasn't been a day when I haven't thought of you."
I took his hand and threaded our fingers together.