Chapter 49
forty-nine
Avalon
Inever would’ve thought you were hooking up with Harris,” Jaxon says as we sit in the waiting room. I feel like the guys’ eyes have been on me since I got here, and I can’t read the emotion behind them.
“They’re not hooking up, you asshole.” Brinley rolls her eyes, “They’re dating.”
“Like you and Alex,” Tate mocks, and Brinley shoves her off the arm of the hospital chair.
I don’t know who Alex is. I haven’t met him tonight. But from the look on Jaxon’s face, he doesn’t seem to like him.
“I can’t believe my girlfriend knew about it and didn’t tell me,” Declan groans. “I thought our relationship was stronger than that.”
“In all fairness, our relationship kind of fell apart not long after I found out,” she argues. “And it wasn’t my secret to tell.”
“I just assumed he was spending more nights at the hospital with his mom,” Jeremy adds. “I never would’ve thought the reason he wasn’t home was because he was practically living with his girlfriend.”
“I feel like we should’ve known with how often he was sneaking out in the middle of the night,” Brooks says.
“How would you know you’re never home?” Fletcher sits back in his chair. “Should we start looking for two new roommates for next year? You and Zeke gonna live with your girlfriends full time?”
“Whoa,” I interrupt, “Zeke and I aren’t planning on moving in together any time soon.”
“You basically already have,” Tate says. “If what the guys say is true, Zeke spends most of his nights with you.”
“Yeah, but we still have our own spaces to go to when needed. I don’t think I’m ready to commit to living with Zeke 24/7.”
Ember laughs. “That’s fair. I lived with him for a few weeks, and it was a lot.”
“To be fair, you lived with six hockey players, so I don’t know if it’s an accurate comparison. But I’m glad you—”
“How is he?” I look up to see a familiar face. I remember him from the Halloween party when I agreed to Zeke’s acquaintances with benefits terms.
“Marcus.” Jaxon stands. “Hey, man. He’s, well, being Zeke. He’s doing as well as he can, all things considered.”
“Fuck, man. Sorry I didn’t get your call earlier,” Marcus continues. “I was out with this guy and, well, went back to his place, and my phone died, so by the time I got home and got your message, I—” his eyes land on me. “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”
“Avalon,” I reply. “I’m Zeke’s girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” His eyes go wide, and then he bursts out in laughter. “Zeke Harris has a girlfriend. You’re fucking kidding me. I knew that son of a bitch was happier than usual recently.”
“And this one,” Declan points to Ember, “has known since February.”
“And she didn’t tell you?”
“Why is this still on me? Zeke also could’ve told you guys,” she argues.
“Trust me, we tried to tell you guys earlier. I was actually supposed to meet all of you tonight. Under different circumstances, obviously.”
“So, why didn’t we meet earlier?” Jeremy wonders.
“Every time we were supposed to meet, something came up.” I don’t need to discuss my family drama with people I just met. “Fletcher almost caught us together after you made it to the finals.”
“I wondered why Marcus told Jaxon he wished he could’ve made it to that game, but Marcus had supposedly driven Zeke’s car down for finals,” Fletcher continues. “So, were you in the car when I ran into him?”
“Guilty.”
The ICU doors open, and Zeke walks out; he looks a little more put together now than he did when he went back there.
“Hey, man,” Marcus pats Zeke on the back. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s doing better than I am.” A soft laugh escapes his lips. “I see you met Avalon.”
Zeke smiles at me as Marcus nods his head.
“Yeah, and you have a lot to catch me up on.”
“I will,” Zeke responds. “Hey, Stewart, my um, my mom wants to see you.”
“See me?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I should’ve known the second my mom found out you were here; she wouldn’t care that I was.”
“That’s not true,” I argue as I walk back toward the ICU. “Are you coming?”
“She actually wants to see you alone.”
“Oh,” I mumble. “I wonder why.”
“Knowing my mom, she’s sick of me worrying about her and wants to just chat with someone she loves.”
I give him a small nod and then make my way back to the ICU.
There you are.” Elise smiles as I enter her room. It’s strange seeing her like this. The last time I saw her in the hospital, the machine she was hooked up to was barely noticeable. Now, it’s hard not to notice all of them. “I wasn’t sure he’d actually send you back.”
“Zeke would do anything for you,” I respond. “You know that.”
“Can you sit with me for a minute,” she begins. “I was hoping to talk to you.”
“Of course,” I continue, “you can always talk to me.”
“It’s about Zeke.”
I should’ve known she’d want to talk about him. I know she worries about him just as much as he worries about her. She once told me that she hated how much pressure her cancer put on him.
“What about him?”
“I don’t know if this is fair of me to say,” she sighs, “but I just need to know he’ll be okay when I’m gone.”
“Elise—”
“Zeke has spent so much time worrying about me in the last five years that I’m worried what’s going to happen when—”
“When he doesn’t have you to worry about.”
“I’ve consumed so much of his time; I just want to know he’s going to be okay when I’m gone.”
I pull my bottom lip into my mouth, trying to contain my tears because the last thing she needs right now is for me to cry.
“You’ve made him happier in the last few months than I’ve seen him in years.
Please promise you’ll take care of him for me when I’m gone,” Elise continues.
“Every time the cancer came back, I’d worry about him.
But I was okay when I found out it was back this time.
” She gives me a sad smile. “He pushed so many people away for so many years. I know he has his friends, but since I got sick, he’s never let anyone get too close. Until you.”
“He’s a good guy, Elise.”
“And you make him better,” she responds. “And because you got him to break down those walls, I know I’m leaving him in good hands.”
“I’ll take care of him,” I whisper. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than by his side.”
And that’s not a lie. For the first time in a long time, I’m not scared that someone’s gonna leave me. My heart is with Zeke, and his heart is with me, and I finally know what a forever kind of love feels like.
Because I found that with him