Page 68 of Stuck with Me

Take care of yourself, Sugar. You never know, maybe one day, we’ll meet again.

Love always, Leo

“She gave up on him,” I say, not even expecting to say them.

Nico moves closer to me on the couch and rests his hand on my thigh. “He was gone a long time.”

Why is he trying to comfort me? Being someone who’s been left, this decision of Gigi’s doesn’t sit right with me. I’m mad at her for it.

“But if she had just waited.”

“She waited. Longer than the rest of my family did, it sounds like.”

“Still…”

“And if she had, I hate to point out the obvious. Neither of us would be here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess…but I hate this for them.”

“Me too, Kit-Kat, me too.”

CHAPTER18

Rosie

We read letters into the night. We move to the floor so we have more space to sort the letters according to some kind of a timeline. I had expected them to stop after the last one where Leo tells Gigi he’s still alive. But we find envelopes with stamp dates spanning over forty years. I’m not sure which one of us is more interested in figuring out the details of what exactly happened in the last four decades.

Nico refills my water glass and sets it on the coffee table for me. He puts my bottle of ibuprofen next to it. He doesn’t say anything, just puts them both down and then sits across from me again. It’s a sweet gesture. One that’s unexpected.

We’re in this weird space now. We’ve shared nearly everything with one another in the past forty-eight hours since we met. It should mean that we’re closer. That we give up our silly agreement and take advantage of this opportunity of being stuck together.

Except for one problem. The two of us are the owners of one cabin. We still have to come to a real agreement. Either one person buys out the other person’s portion, or we share. I’ve never been too big on sharing.

Some couples think it’s cute to share food, but I hate it. The guy always eats more and I’m still hungry by the end of the meal. I can relate with Joey from FRIENDS;Rosie doesn’t share food!Once, when Cammie and I were in middle school, she suggested we share clothes, and I got back my favorite One Direction sweatshirt with stains on it. That was the end of our clothes sharing.

I don’t even know what that would look like; Nico and I sharing the cabin. Would he want to switch off each holiday each year? Or every other holiday? Would he travel to Maple Ridge and want to spend an entire summer here? That feels unfair because I love staying at the cabin in the summer.

My wrist is throbbing more than it was earlier. Probably because I’m tired. I take a few ibuprofen and chase them with some water. Nico has his back against the couch, and he scrubs his hands down his face. He’s exhausted too. We’ve been through a lot emotionally tonight. It takes a toll on people. Especially people who are already grieving.

I should suggest we go to bed and pick back up in the morning. But I don’t want to. My heart aches extra tonight. The grief is like an obvious weight on my chest. And I don’t want to be alone.

Typically, being alone is something I’m not only used to, but can appreciate. I lived with Gigi after my parents died. My only other relative was my aunt and she wasn’t married and didn’t have kids. She’s a missionary in another country so that wasn’t an option. For as long as I can remember it was always Gigi and me.

I’m used to taking care of myself. I’ve had to work hard for every single thing I have in this life. Nothing came easy. Even opening up the Brew Box. Sure, I got enough money for all the start-ups from my parents’ life insurance, but I had to put in more. And what I didn’t have, I had to fight the bank to give me a chance and approve a business loan. I also had to learn everything about running a business.

“I think we’re both tired. We should get some sleep and start again tomorrow.” Nico stands and stretches.

My throat thickens. I don’t want to have to ask it. But I know he won’t suggest it if I don’t.

“Nico,” my voice cracks a little and it’s pathetic, yet I push through. “Will you stay with me tonight?”

I await the teasing. But he does the unexpected. He gestures with his head for me to follow him. “Sure. But let’s go in the bed. I’ve already got a kink in my neck from crashing on the floor last night.”

The thought of sleeping in Gigi’s bed is distressing. But the thought of sleeping alone is worse. I nod and rise on shaky legs. My heartrate picks up speed and I take a moment to center myself.

Maybe I’ve had it all wrong and sleeping in Gigi’s bed will bring me comfort. At least I won’t have to do it alone. Despite ourno touchingagreement, Nico holds out an open palm from behind him. I slip my hand into it, and he guides me down the hall.

Just this simple touch from him slows my pulse and steadies my heart that only moments before was like a jackhammer in my chest. We enter the room and besides the glow from the moon streaming in through the window, it’s dark. The scent in the air is a mixture of Gigi’s rosy perfume and Nico’s musky cologne. The combination makes it easier to relax.

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