Page 26 of Love Sick

“It’s fine.” He clears his throat. “What floor are you?”

I point toward my apartment. “Second.”

He nods for me to precede him up the stairs. I hesitate at the landing, but he continues. “I’m on the third. Goodnight, Sapphire.”

He climbs the steps without hurry, at ease and straight-backed.

“It’s Grace!” I call.

“Right.” He doesn’t look at me. “I’ll remember next time.”

Julian

NOVEMBER, YEAR 1

Hiding in a doctor’s dictation area, I hold the phone tight to my ear. “Yes, Mom. My flight is on Tuesday.”

“Julian, if you miss Thanksgiving, I swear—”

“I bought the ticket. I’ll be home.”

“It’s bad enough you’re missing Christmas. Who works on Christmas?”

I sigh. “Babies don’t care about holidays, Mom.”

Her tone chastises. “Your sisters have been looking forward to seeing you. They say you never text.”

“I work ninety hours a week.”

She snorts into the phone. “It takes seven seconds to send a text, son.”

“Mom, I have to go. I’m supposed to be working.”

“Don’t you dare miss that flight, Julian!”

“Goodbye.”

“Julian—”

I hang up and press my hand over my eyes, trying to find patience. Ever since Dad died when I was two, she’s focused solely on her children. As the baby, my new distance chafes at her overbearing maternal instincts.

My sisters understand, but Mom doesn’t recognize how hard I worked to get here—never mind that I chose this path because of her life-threatening hemorrhage when I was fifteen. We almost lost her. I’d never been so scared in my life.

Teenage Julian was kind of a mama’s boy.

I frown. I’m still a mama’s boy, aren’t I?

God. I’ll never escape it.

My gaze drops to my phone.

Me:Mom is guilt tripping me again.

Tori:You probably deserve it, BB

That fucking nickname. They started withbaby. Thenbebe. And now justBB.

Tori:Oh, she texted me about it.

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