Page 102 of Leah

Rome.

It really was.

And he was going to break my heart.

I sucked in a breath as dots clouded my vision.

“Hello,” I answered in a small voice.

I felt my stomach twisting, felt my heart beat harder as the line on the other end was quiet for a moment.

“Leah,” he said, his voice solemn and tight. “I don’t know if you know—”

“I know,”I interrupted, more tears stinging my eyes. “Is he alive? Did they pull him out of the water? Please, tell me it was him.”

His brief silence killed me.

He was dead.

Of course he was.

You don’t survive that kind of crash, in a jet that size.

How was I going to endure now?

He had tried to give me his heart the last time he held me—

“He’s alive,” he then said.

The phone practically fell from my grip as I hunched over and sobbed into the cushion pillow. The relief was too intense to describe. I could hardly breathe as I shook. Melanie’s arms went around me again, and I could hear her soft cries. She’d heard him.

“Oh, my God, Melanie,” I cried. “Oh, my God.”

I must have cried like that for ages before I was able to grab the phone again. Putting it to my ear, I was surprised the call was still going.

“Rome,” I let out, practically strangled by my emotions, “Is he okay? Please tell me he’s okay.”

“I don’t know,” he said, honestly. “They took him to the hospital, and the entire time he was calling out to his dad. I think he was hallucinating.”

“Butphysically… Is he okay?”

“I think so. I’m on my way to the hospital now.”

“Let me know everything.”

“Of course.” He paused again, sighing. “Look, I’m all the way in New York right now and my parents are hysterical. Do you think you can stop by and tell them everything is okay? They’d feel better if it was said in person. You know the way they are.”

“Yeah,” I responded with a nod. “I know. I’ll tell them. I’ll go after I take care of something.”

“Thanks, Leah.”

“Don’t forget to update me.”

“I won’t.”

I got off the phone and wiped at my eyes, but the tears kept falling.

“See,” Melanie whispered, stroking my back. “A little faith can go a long way.”

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