Page 16 of His to Love
“Central is almost two hours away, Blue.”
I frowned. “And?”
“So how we gonna stay together?”
My eyes widened. “This is what you’re worried about? Us?”
Tyson shook his acceptance letter from Central University in front of my face. The paper made a harsh snapping sound and I could tell he was frustrated, but I was fighting back a giggle.
I placed my hand against his cheek. “We’ve got cars, Tyson. We can see each other whenever we want.”
“I thought you’d be upset. Or sad because you’ll miss me.” His lips thinned and he ran his hand through his hair. “Shit, I’m turning into a girl, aren’t I?”
My giggle slipped free. Tyson shot me a scowl but I saw his shoulders lose some of the tension.
“It’s four years, Tyson. Four years of us following our dreams. That’s what relationships are about—helping the person you love go after their dream. Isn’t that what we’re doing?”
“I don’t like the idea of you being far from me, with other guys not knowing you’re mine.”
I rolled my eyes. This, his possessiveness, I knew well. Our school was small, but Tyson still walked with me in that way that silently told all the guys around us to back off. I teased him frequently about just getting his name tattooed on my forehead.
“You’re crazy.” I rolled onto my toes and kissed his lips before I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
He copied the move, and lifted me until my legs wrapped around his waist.
“I love you Tyson Blackwell. I always will. Four years is nothing compared to the rest of our lives together.”
He heaved a heavy breath and pressed his lips against my ear. “Good. Because I’m not letting you go, anyway. No matter what happens, it’s you and me, Blue, and it’ll be that way forever.”
—
I slapped off the water faucet and reached for a towel. It wasn’t until I had finished drying off that I realized my cheeks weren’t still wet from the shower, but from my tears.
We had made so many promises to each other. We had made so many plans together.
Now, ten years later, I had no idea if it’d ever be possible to get past the lies between us.
I did know that even though Tyson left me in my hotel room just an hour ago, I already missed him like crazy.
—
“You look good, Mom.” I kissed her cheek after lying through my teeth.
“I look like crap,” she said, and laughed.
It wasn’therlaugh, though, and it killed me a little bit inside. Her skin was pale, her eyes were sunken, and the dark circles under her eyes were more apparent today than when we spoke over FaceTime just last week.
She really did look like shit, but I couldn’t admit it to her. Luella Galecki was the strongest woman I knew. She had fought this cancer twice already, once when I was ten, and again when I was sixteen. When she went ten years without a single scare, it finally convinced all of us it wasn’t coming back.
It was all an evil mindfuck to get us complacent, though, because eleven months after her ten-year checkup she started feeling tired all the time. Then she stopped being able to eat. And when the vomiting began weeks later, and I learned about it during a phone call, I knew deep down in my gut that this fight wasn’t going to be the same.
“You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She smiled, allowing the lie. She probably needed to believe it as much as I needed to say it.
“Tell me what’s new with you. What you’re going to do now that you’re home.”
I squeezed her hand lightly, needing to touch her. In contrast to the aloofness and coolness of my father, my mom was different. She was light and airy and kind. Even when she corrected me, tried to discipline me, or force me to behave in a way representative of the Galecki family, I always knew her heart was in the right place.
