Page 59 of Boots & Scars

"Me?" I asked, thrown off balance by her words.

She nodded once. "You were there for me," she said simply. "You took me in. You didn't have to. And that's… that's good."

"Sometimes the world is a terrible place," I pointed out, frustration and worry mingling in my chest. "You can't go looking for the good in everything. You know that, right?"

"Sure I can," she said with a small smile.

The coffee machine gurgled loudly in the silence that followed.

I watched her as she busied herself with mugs and sugar packets, trying to process what she'd said. The weight of her words pressed on me like a boulder on my chest.

"Everly," I started again but stopped when she placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of me.

She gave me a look that silenced any further protest.

"Will you take me to the clinic?" she asked. "The one on-campus?"

I clenched my teeth but took the coffee from her. The warmth of the mug seeped into my hands, grounding me for a moment.

"You don't have to stay," she said. "I understand if you have other things to do and?—"

"Just, shut up," I groused before taking a sip of coffee. "Your coffee tastes like shit, you know."

"But you still drank it," she said, a faint smile playing at her lips. "See? You're good, Cooper."

I didn't say anything. I needed her to stop saying things altogether because I might do something crazy like believe her.

We stood there in silence, the air thick with unspoken words. Her resolve was infuriating and admirable all at once. Shewanted to do the right thing, even if it meant tearing open her own wounds.

"Fine," I finally muttered, setting the mug down on the counter with a clink. "I'll take you."

Her eyes lit up with gratitude, but I looked away, unable to bear it. It was so easy to fall into them, and I refused.

Not again.

The exam room felt sterile,the kind of cold that seeps into your bones. I sat next to Everly on the examination table, my eyes glued to the linoleum floor. The door creaked open, and a doctor walked in, nose buried in his paperwork.

"Good afternoon," he mumbled without looking up. "I'm Dr. Langley, the only one on-call today. I'm going to need to strip you down and catalog your injuries."

He finally glanced at me, and recognition caused him to furrow his brow.

"Miss, may I speak to you alone?" he asked.

Everly furrowed her brows. "Why?"

"I'm not leaving," I said, my voice hard as granite.

"If you're in distress?—"

"Distress?" Everly cut him off, her voice sharp.

"You think I did this to her?" I growled.

"He would never," Everly insisted.

Dr. Langley continued, his tone clinical. "It would be best if he leave?—"

"Cooper isn't leaving," Everly interrupted, straightening her back. I had never seen her more fierce. "He didn't touch me. He's here to support me, and the fact that you automaticallyassumed it because of who he is is unacceptable. You owe him an apology."

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