Page 131 of Before You
Mirabelle moves to stand up, and Henry offers his hand to help her, a gentle smile directed her way. She glances at me, raising her eyebrows. “I’ll be back in a minute, you okay here?”she asks, and I know she’s hovering because they don’t trust me to be by myself. Again, I really can’t blame them.
“Yep,” I say, pushing a smile on my face to help put her at ease. I’m capable of making it a couple of minutes by myself. Besides, I have plenty of unpacking to do, and I’d prefer to fold my underwear without Mirabelle watching.
It’s bad enough Henry packed everything up, but now that everyone knows about my addiction, I have a feeling any privacy will be nonexistent for a while. It doesn’t matter that prior to the accident, I had already made it seventy-two days clean. I hit a hundred days clean last week, but in their minds, I’m not.
I’m certain Henry volunteered for the job of going through my things so he could ensure I didn’t have drugs stashed anywhere, but I’m taking his lack of silence as confirmation he didn’t find anything. Asher tore my room apart after the last time I took pills, not trusting I didn’t have anything else stashed away.
He was a much better friend than I deserved.
I shake my head, pushing the thought away by focusing on counting to ten while taking deep breaths to clear my mind. At least Henry meticulously folded everything so all I have to do is put it away.
Mirabelle laughs loud enough for me to hear her, and the pure joy in it is enough to make me smile. “No!” she shrieks, laughter continuing to fill the quiet air. “Henry, don’t you dare tickle me.”
I don’t hear Henry’s response, but I’m honestly not sure if I want to hear what he says, and I distract myself by texting Marley. At least there’s no more shrieking.
Do you want to come over?
Marley:I think you forgot something
What?
Marley:Check the front door
I step out of my room, instantly blinded by the sight of Henry making out with my sister as she sits on the kitchen counter, and it explains why they got quiet. I shudder, shielding my eyes as I plan my route to the front door without interrupting them.
Under normal circumstances, I’d totally be making fun of them, but considering they’ve temporarily relocated here for the remainder of the semester, I’m going to do my best not to kill their vibes. My line will be drawn at seeing them naked.
I quietly flip the lock, but they’re so lost in their own world, neither of them hears the creak of the front door opening. Marley stands on the other side, holding a bag of takeout with a heart stopping smile on her face.
We made plans for a movie night. Oh shit, I definitely forgot.
I shift, opening the door further, and Marley’s head tilts, clearly seeing Henry and Mirabelle. “Are they really making out in the kitchen?” she asks, and I chuckle, pressing my finger to my lips to tell her to be quiet. I pull her in, shutting the door as silently as I can, covering Marley’s eyes to poison my own as I guide her to my room.
The problem arises when I miss the handle of a pan sticking out of a box, and Marley’s foot catches it, causing Henry and Mirabelle to jump apart. Marley jumps half out of her skin, and I groan, as Mirabelle yelps.
Mira’s entire face is flaming red when she turns toward us. “Holy shit, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Sorry, you seemed really into it. I didn’t think it was important to interrupt since you both still had on all your clothes.”
Henry scoffs, turning away, and I bite back my laugh, understanding exactly why he’s not facing us, but I’d prefer not to poke the bear more than I already have.
“The kitchen? Really?” Marley asks, and Mirabelle sputters, trying to fix her hair.God, they work fast.
“Next time, say something.”
“So just to be clear, you’re giving me permission to interrupt you and your fiancé?” I ask, wanting to make sure I’m not misunderstanding anything.
“JJ,”Henry’s deep voice rumbles in warning, and I put my hands up in defense.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to trip into the box,” Marley interjects before I can make a dumb choice to poke the bear. “But, um, we’re just going to be in his room, so I guess feel free to carry on?” This time, she pulls me along, saving my ass entirely. I’m so glad Marley remembered our plans.
I shut my door behind us, leaning against it as Marley takes a seat on my bed, setting the bag of food down. She fixes her blue gaze on me, looking at me in a way to make me feel like I’m the only thing in the world that matters. “Hi, sweetheart,” I murmur, stepping forward until I’m able to hold her face in my hands, just wanting to look at her.
“I love you,” she says, and I can’t help the way my heart flutters in my chest. Goddamn, I’m a sucker for this girl.
“Not as much as I love you. I’m sorry I forgot we were going to have a movie night, I got sidetracked with unpacking,” I explain, and Marley smiles up at me.
“It’s okay. I’m here to remember the things you forget.”
