Page 94 of Novice Girlfriend

I swallowed loudly. “It’s temporary. That’s why Wyatt was missing. He was spending all his time with Quinn.”

“Tell me.”

“I can’t tell you everything. I’ll be punished if I do,” I whispered. “It’s temporary, Link, you have to remember that. It’s one time and it lasted a week for them, but you’re drowning too deep and I don’t know how to help you.”

He didn’t say anything for several minutes, just leaving me there staring at my hands on my lap. “Please? If it doesn’t hurt you, please let me talk to Loki? I’ve wanted that so bad for so long and—I’ll take a week. One time a week. Fuck, that’s amazing.”

“It broke Wyatt to lose. I don’t know if it will hurt you worse in the end,” I rasped. “And I don’t have a lot. That’s why I was mad. I’m sorry. I was being selfish.”

He turned to me and covered my hands with his larger one. “Will you still be my friend at the end? Keep our deal and check on me?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll make it, Bev. I knew you guys would be there when I came back. I just… Please?”

The way his voice cracked on that please did me in. I reached over to my bag and pulled out the apple. The confusion on his face was almost amusing if it wasn’t such a serious situation.

“I don’t know how long it will last,” I reminded him. “We don’t know anything. It did something different for me than Wyatt and we’ve only eaten two.”

“I’m going to have questions later,” he murmured as he took it.

“I probably can’t answer them.”

He didn’t say anything for several moments. “I’m sorry you carry that. I’m sorry how lonely that makes you feel. Some of us push because we want to help you carry it, not because we think we’re owed the answers.”

“I need reminders of that,” I admitted. “All I see is the entitlement.”

“Fair.” He bit into the apple. “Thanks for coming to save me.”

“It’s what we do.” I stood and gave Loki a kiss. “Take care of him.” I swallowed loudly and looked back at Link. “Enjoy it. Text your aunt.” I wrinkled my nose again. “And shower. Seriously.”

He threw down a circle with a chuckle. “I’ll text you both.”

And then I was gone, hoping I’d done the right thing and trusted the right person. That the apple was a life preserver I’d just thrown him and not a weight I’d tied around both of our ankles.

Let something be a gift only, just this once.

The End