Page 134 of All I Have Left

Outside, I find Grayson leaning against my car parked on the street, his eyes on the cars going by. He’s dressed in cargo shorts now, his dark T-shirt clinging to his back as the wind blows subtly. I stand at the door for a moment, watching him, wishing I could take away all this for him.

Without words, I approach him and wait to see what he’s going to say.

He notices me, his eyes sliding effortlessly from the street to mine. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

“It’s okay.”

His hand finds mine and he tugs. “No, it’s not.”

I snake my hands around his shoulders as he leans me into the side of my car, his body covering mine. I wait, watching his eyes glow in the setting sun, the scar on the side of his head still very noticeable in this lighting. “Are you hurt?”

He shakes his head, slowly. “No.”

“Did you get dizzy again?”

His head tips forward, sighing as he presses his lips to mine. “I’m starving. Where are we eating?”

“Up the street. We can walk there.”

Sliding his right hand into mine, he breathes in heavily. “You’d think it’d be getting better by now.”

Squinting into the sun, I glance over at him and interlock our fingers. “It might take a few weeks of being on the new medication before it doesn’t happen as much. Maybe we try the diuretics they mentioned.”

He shrugs. “I’m not talking about medications.”

“What then?”

His eyes move to mine. “My reactions.”

“Oh.”

“It’s like I can’t regulate them. I feel something, pain, nausea, dizziness, whatever it is and my mood changes so drastically that even I can’t keep up with at times.”

Moving closer, I circle my other hand around his bicep, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “We’ll get there. Soon.”

“I hope you’re right or my girlfriend is going to leave my ass,” he teases, watching the cars pass by on the street.

“Nah. She really wants to make a baby with you.”Fucking, fuck.

Did I really just say that out loud?

Also, can we please acknowledge the fact that he called me his girlfriend? Maybe not as important that I said I want to have his babies.

Judging by his expression, I’m guessing I did.

He stops walking and turns me to face him, his moody eyes on mine. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, you said something about babies. My hearing ain’t that bad.”

I cave, my shoulders sagging. We’re bumped from behind by Frankie. “Let’s eat! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”

Ethan cringes at her, opening the door to the restaurant. “I hate that saying.”

“And I hate that you snore. So we’re even.” She flips her hair at him.

Ethan rolls his eyes, lowering his voice and holding the door open for the parents. “She snores.”

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