Page 98 of The Man I Almost Lost
“Not for a moment did I think it bothered you,” he said. “How about I make you a deal?”
“Er, not so sure about that,” I admitted, not caring if I sounded wary. Anyone as smart as him could trick me into doing just about anything if he wanted to.
“It’s simple. I’ll tell you what Ireallythink about Clay and how he’s doing since I flew out to see him the other day,” he said, and I perked up at that. “And you tell me what you’ve been doing since you got back to Arete…and what you plan to do differently this time around.”
“Different?” I asked cautiously. “I like what I’ve been doin’…except for the alone part.”
“If you always do what you know, you can never be more than you already are,” he said softly. “And imagine how over the moon Clay would be if he found out you’ve been making great strides while he was doing the same.”
I frowned. “That’s cheatin’, ya know that, right?”
“All’s fair in love and war,” he snorted. “What can it hurt?”
Plenty, but considering I was being forced to watch people around me get to where they were leaving me behind…well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt more than it already did, right?
“Fine,” I said. “You first.”
“Mhmm,” he said, as if we both knew he wouldn’t let me off the hook that easily.
Just like when Isaac had been here, though, it was easy to fall into conversation with him, even when it wasn’t about mental things. It turned out he was also worried about Clay, but was just as tentatively hopeful that what he had seen of Clay was a good sign. I wasn’t much good at sharing what I’d been doing since returning to Arete a week before, but it was nice to talk about normal things for a few hours as the sun made its way high enough to cast its bright light over the ridges of the mountains.
Others showed up; the early risers and those like me who probably hadn’t slept much last night. I knew most of the faces, though there were a couple of new people because there was always someone new at Arete. Most waved or called my name before moving on, probably to get caffeine or breakfast while it was fresh. Sound and life were returning to Arete, and it made me feel just that little less lonely.
“And this,” I heard the familiar voice of the facility administrator say in his best welcoming sales pitch, “is the best time possible to get a good look at the facilities we’ve already discussed and the people you’ll be spending a lot of time around.”
“You don’t have to show off,” a fresh voice said, and a shockwave rolled through me so totally that I stopped speaking and stared at the mountains outside without turning.
There wasnoway.
As the shock rolled through me, I could barely hear Isaac’s concern. “Cade?” I stood there and stared at someone I never dreamed I would see again.
What had it been? Five years? Five years since I saw the man standing beside Reggie with a scowl that looked out of place on someone, I remembered being lighthearted and gentle. Someone who had always understood the pain in the world, but never let it get to him. Someone who could look at you and make you feel special when he spoke because he had that knack, even more than Isaac did.
I hadn’t forgotten him, not really. I could remember the last time I’d seen him. Being flown away on a chopper, fighting for his life as he was transported to safety. I’d believed I would never see him again after everything that transpired a few months later. And yet?—
He turned his head and caught my eye, and I saw the same expression of shock, his lips parting.
My voice was husky and rough when I spoke. “Rhodes?”
