Page 197 of What We Break
But as I drive home Joyce's words won't leave me alone.How long are you willing to wait?
That's the thing. I don't think I can wait much longer. I worked too hard to build this life to let someone dim me. I survived moving every three months, I survived nursing school, I survived the ER.
Am I really going to let a man turn me into a ghost in my own life?
39
REID
Ilet myself into Laine's apartment with my key. It’s quiet, just the hum of the refrigerator and the soft light of a lamp in the corner.
She’s curled up on the couch, knees pulled to her chest, staring at nothing. She doesn't even hear me come in until I drop my keys in the bowl.
"Hey, beautiful."
Laine looks up, and for a second, she looks startled. Then that smile, the one that makes my chest do stupid things, spreads across her face.
"You're here," she says, uncurling her legs to make room for me.
"Told you I'd come over." I drop onto the couch next to her, pulling her against my side. She melts into me, mostly. She's been tense the last little while. Maybe work's been rough. "It was quiet today, got out right on time. Missed you."
"Missed you too." She tilts her head up for a kiss, and fuck, there it is again. That rush. Five months and I still feel like a teenager when she looks at me like this.
"How was your shift?" I ask, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Twelve-year-old threw up red Gatorade and pizza all over my scrub pants."
I wince. "Ouch. Poor kid. Was he mortified?"
"Crying harder than he was puking. Kept apologizing, poor thing."
That's my girl. Even when she's getting puked on, she's worried about the kid feeling embarrassed. "Stomach flu?"
"Going around Jefferson Middle. We had nine kids by the end of shift." She pauses. "Joyce made me drink real coffee afterward. She thinks I've been sleepwalking."
"Are you? I mean, are you feeling okay? You've seemed..." Now that she mentions it, she has been quieter lately. "Are you getting enough sleep?"
"I'm fine. Just tired, I think. Joyce worries too much."
But her tone feels off and it doesn’t sit right. She doesn't sound like my Laine.
"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" I catch her hand, thread our fingers together. "Work stuff, life stuff, whatever."
She squeezes my hand, looking down at our interlaced fingers.
"Actually, can we talk about something?"
Thank fuck. Thank fuck she's going to talk to me. I can't fix it if I don't know what's breaking.
"Always. Lay it on me, Baby."
She sits up straighter, puts a little distance between us. "It's about Blake."
"Blake?" Fuck. Was not expecting that. Why does it always come back to Blake? "What about him?"
"Reid, he doesn't like me."
I hold in the sigh. We've been over this. "Laine, that's not true. Blake's just... Blake. He's not great with new people. He needs time to warm up." Fucking Blake and his resting asshole face. Would it kill the guy to smile?
