Page 35 of Unmasking You

He hands me the tray, and I spot the pain pills next to a plate of fluffy eggs and bread with butter.

I raise my head to thank him, but he’s already gone. I eat slowly, enjoying every single mouthful. I’m just setting my fork down when Jamie comes back in.

He doesn’t talk but comes close and places a bottle of water on the bedside table. When he glances at the tray and finds it empty, he picks it up and turns around, ready to walk away.

Is he going to leave without saying anything?

“I’ll be back when it’s time to take your pills. Call me if you need anything.”

Is this how it’s going to be?

“I can leave if my presence bothers you so much,” I say, trying to get a reaction from him.

“I promised to take care of you, and that’s what I’ll do. But we are not friends. I don’t want to talk about the past, and if you try, I’ll throw you out.”

His words hurt. I didn’t think anything was going to change just because I saved his dog, but I don’t know who this heartless man standing in front of me right now is. But then something flickers in his eyes, something that reminds me of when we were friends.

That something gives me hope… that while I’m here I’ll have a chance to convince him to listen.

Just once.

Please, just give me a chance.

Just one.

Chapter 13

Jamie

What was in my mind when I lied to both the policeandthe hospital?

I should have acted like normal people do and come back at visiting hours, but I couldn’t let go of his hand.

Now I’m avoiding Shane like I would the plague. I’ve spent all my time in my office, coming out only to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or when Shane needs to go to the bathroom, before returning to my office. Every touch we share makes me weaker. Each time I turn away, he looks a little sadder.

I’m scared I’ll forgive him simply because he’s in pain, or because this one time he saved me from it. He didn’t have any problem watching me suffer—or adding to it—back when I couldn’t defend myself.

Three days have already passed, and I’m still far from comfortable having him here. Actually, sleeping is getting harder and harder. I have this gnawing feeling eating at my insides, like something bad is going to happen. It’s the same feeling I had every morning before going to school. The need to run away, but knowing there’s no escape.

I stop in front of the guest room, my heart a roar inside my chest. I glance inside, expecting Shane to still be asleep. Instead, somehow, he has pulled himself up, and he’s now resting with his back on the pillow pushed against the headboard.

He turns his head towards me and smiles, but when I don’t reciprocate, I watch it die on his lips.

Guilt rears its ugly head, but I push it down. He never felt guilty for what he did, did he? A memory of his face full of tears appears in my mind’s eye. No, that can’t be right. He never, not even once, took responsibility for how he and his friends made my life a living hell.

“Breakfast?” I ask, pushing those thoughts away. I can’t think of those bastards, or I’ll lose every bit of progress I’ve made in the last ten years. I take a breath in, hold it for four, and then release it in four, until I’m focused on the present.

“Yes, please.” Shane turns his head away and closes his eyes. He looks tired, but mostly sad.

“Do you feel well enough to have it on the sofa?”

His head whips my way so fast I’m worried he’s going to be sick again. His eyes are as bright as the sun coming through the window, and guilt gnaws at me.

“Can I?”

Why does he look and sound like a kid who’s just received a special gift?

Tenderness fills me, something I never thought I would associate with Shane again. “Give me some time to get everything ready for you. I’ll be back.” And this time, I smile at him. It’s forced, but I don’t give myself time to regret it.

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