Page 39 of Shy Girls Can't Date Celebrities
“Erika.”
His jaw rocks, and he mutters, “Must’ve been her.”
I bat a hand. “Erin, Erika, same difference.”
“Hmm.”
“You misplaced a name. No big deal.”
He frowns, eyes drooping as he nods.
“I thought you didn’t want to talk about your life.”
He sighs. “I don’t.”
“Why don’t we do something else to distract us?” I gesture at the table near his bed. “What about solitaire?”
“No, I don’t wanna do that.”
“There has to be something we can do.”
“I kinda wish I could play my guitar,” he says wistfully at the view. “That always pulled me out of my thoughts.”
The idea of hearing him play sends a thrill through my veins. Eagerly, my eyes dart around the room. “Well, why don’t you? Surely they’ve brought your guitar here.”
Wyatt folds his arms across his middle, shaking his head. “I can’t play it. My fingers aren’t working very well.”
“Oh, right.” Duh, Josie. The playing cards.
He untucks his right hand from his side, opening and closing it. “My phys-physical therapist has me doing, erhm, hand exercises. They’re supposed to help me g-get ready to play the guitar.”
“What are they?”
“I have a band that goes around my fingers and I have to ster-st-stretch out the digits as far as I can.” He looks over at his bed. “I th-think it’s over there.”
I get up and move over to the bed. “What am I looking for?”
“It’s an elastic band. I don’t know where I, I left it. It’s not by the bed somewhere?”
I crane my neck, searching the area. “Umm, I don’t see anything.”
Wyatt huffs, and I turn around, seeing him flop back against the couch.
I edge toward him, clutching my elbows. “You look so tired. Maybe you should go back to bed?”
“I don’t want to sleep,” he mutters.
“Aren’t you wiped?”
He pulls himself up to sit. “I don’t want to waste any time while you’re here.”
I giggle, fidgeting in my stance. “But acting like a zombie because you need sleep won’t be an effective way to spend our time. Besides, I don’t mind if you sleep.”
“I don’t want to wake up and find out you’re gone.” He gulps. “Or worse, that you were never here and it was all just a dream.”
I move over to the couch and kneel on the floor in front of him. I slide my hands against the sides of his face and smile. “I’m not going anywhere. But I’m not letting you derail your recovery.” I stand on my knees, and let out a soft chuckle. “Plus, I don’t want to be around grumpy Wyatt. And I know he’ll be gone as soon as he naps.”
Wyatt lets out a quiet laugh. “I love having you here. You know me.”
