Page 84 of The Design of Goodbye
I pointed to an open page of his sketchbook. It was of a bird, of course, but it wasn’t painted. “What kind of bird is this?”
“A zebra finch.”
“Will you paint it?”
“Eventually.”
“Show it to me when you’re done.” I gave him his sketchbook back, but he didn’t move to leave. “Did you want to talk about something else?”
He fidgeted. “Remember you had me promise to tell you when I needed a place to stay?”
“Of course I remember,” I said. “Do you not have anywhere to stay tonight?”
“No.” He kicked at the gravel again. “I just wanted you to know.”
“I’m glad you told me,” I said. “You can stay at my house.”
He tried hard not to smile. “You sure?”
“I haven’t changed my mind. You stay with me when you have nowhere to go. Understand?”
The corners of his mouth curved up. He was slowly losing the battle. “Okay, understood.”
“Hide your bike on the side of my house, near my bedroom window. Then crawl down my window well and knock. I’ll let you in.”
Battle lost, he smiled—the rare,realkind that lit up his face—and it nearly knocked me over with how amazing it was.
* * *
Once home, I took the screen out of my window so Liam could easily crawl through. I hid the screen in the back of my closet and hoped my dad never found it.
At nine-thirty that night, Liam finally knocked. The last five hours had felt like the longest of my life.
“Hey,” I said, sliding open my window. “I have an idea.”
I held up a thermos and a paper bag.
He scrunched his nose. “Um...”
“Coffee, food, and park. You up for it?”
His eyes lit up. “Absolutely.”
After he handed me his backpack to leave in my room, I bundled up in my coat, hat, and gloves before sneaking out.
Once I was safe on solid ground, he commented, “Your hair’s down.”
Even with the coldness of the night, my cheeks heated. “You’re very observant.” I pulled out a ham-and-cheese croissant from the paper bag and handed it to him. I’d timed it well, and it was still hot. “Dinner. I figured you hadn’t eaten.”
“Wow, thanks,” he said gratefully. He unwrapped the croissant and took a huge bite. “What else is in the bag?”
I hid the bag behind my back and started walking. “Can’t have dessert until you finish your dinner.”
The park was only a few blocks away, so we were sitting in some swings less than ten minutes later. I filled the lid of the thermos with coffee, and I took a long drink because it was freezing.
“Do you come here a lot?” asked Liam, putting the beanie I’d gotten him on.
“Not really. I walk by a lot, though.” I handed him the coffee, so he could warm up before admitting, “I read your truth.”
