Page 1 of Revival

PROLOGUE

Cortney

My entire bodyfeels like one enormous beating pulse.

Even the tips of my fingers throb as I don the protective gear outside of the door and slip into his hospital room.

Silence beckons me inside. My throat feels impossibly tight as I gently part the privacy curtain, leaving the fabric to flutter behind me.

The paper gown encasing my body crinkles with each movement, no matter how subtle. I fidget with the strings, with my diamond ring hidden beneath a rubber glove, and adjust the paper cap covering my long black hair before turning my attention to the bed.

Oh, Spencer.

My exhale is loud. The air forcibly exits my lungs at the sight of my first love lying immobile in the hospital bed. He’s large enough to make the bed seem small, but the gown encasing his muscular frame adds a layer of fragility I’ve never seen from him.

Spencer from my past was always untouchable. He carried an air of that bad-boy,you-only-live-onceattitude.

Nothing scared Spencer Stone.

At least that’s what I thought. Until he snatched my virginity and dropped me like a hot mistake mere hours after the deed was done.

Evidently,Iscared Spencer Stone. Enough for him to skip town.

My steps across the linoleum are cautious. The slow rise and fall of his chest convinces me he’s asleep, and I don’t want to startle him by thundering across the room.

I stop beside him, inhaling the scent of ointments and antiseptics. The sterile environment masks anything uniquely Spencer. The smell of him that only exists in ancient memories. Pushing aside my disappointment, I brush my fingers tentatively across the warm, smooth skin on the back of his hand. For a moment, I wish there wasn’t a layer separating us.

His brows twitch, but he doesn’t wake. With one touch, I’m transported back in time to a memory of curious, eager caresses and twisted sheets. I withdraw my hand as if I’ve been shocked and retreat a hasty step.

The door behind me slides open. A nurse enters the room.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know he had a visitor.”

“It’s okay. He’s been asleep.”

She nods and rounds the foot of his bed. “That’ll be the pain medication. It’s good he’s resting. I just need to check his bandages, and I’ll be out of your way.”

“Take your time.” I scoot back to watch her work, first with the bandage on his arm before moving onto his face. My stomach clenches as I document his injuries. The thought of what he went through, the pain he’s currently enduring, compresses my heart.

Spencer’s eyes flutter, his gaze unfocused on the woman beside him. A spear of jealousy stabs through my gut, and my next inhale gets stuck in my throat. At the sound, Spencer flicks his gaze in my direction for the first time.

The full effect of those piercing blue eyes, hazy from the medication but still steady on me, is swift. Years of memories, of heartache and longing, flit between us. My palms tingle, and my mouth opens, and I have a hundred different questions on my tongue.

The nurse works through our silence, documenting vitals, oblivious to the history swirling in the room like a summer storm.

As the clock on the wall ticks the minutes passing by, Spencer’s eyes never leave mine.

I tell myself it’s the medication. He’s half out of it. He probably doesn’t even know who I am.

But then the nurse leaves, and he murmurs one word.

“Cortney.” His voice is gritty and gruff and stokes something warm deep in my gut. The slur behind my name leaves room to interpret his tone.

“Hey, Spencer.”

“’S’been a long time.” He runs his tongue over cracked, dry lips.

I promptly retrieve his paper cup and straw. “Here.”

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