Page 87 of The Heartbreakers
I was right about hearing my brother out in the hall. A few minutes after Oliver left, Drew pushed open my door. “Knock, knock,” he said, rapping his knuckles against the frame. “How you feeling, Rocket?”
“Not as bad as I thought I would,” I said. “Come in.”
Drew hesitated for a second, lingering in the space between the hall and my room, but then stepped inside. He was quiet as he moved toward the chair where Oliver had been minutes before, and when he reached it, he smoothed out his shirt before sitting down.
“What’s up?” I asked. Something about the way he was holding himself was strange.
Drew shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
“Oh yeah,” I said, crossing my arms. “Clearly.”
“Well”—he paused and fidgeted in his seat—“I guess I was wondering about Oliver.”
“What about him?” I asked, trying my best not to sigh. If Drew was outside my room when Oliver left, the two had obviously seen each other, and although I’d known he’d ask sooner or later, I’d hoped my brother would forget to interrogate me.
“He flew all the way out here?”
I shrugged, trying to look casual. “Yeah. He wanted to make sure I was okay.”
My response made him frown. “And he’s already left? That wasn’t a very long visit.”
“He’s a busy guy, Drew,” I said. “He probably didn’t have time to hang out and play cards.” I knew I was being short with Drew, but I didn’t want to explain my relationship problems to my brother. Not that there was a relationship to have a problem with since Oliver and I were over.
The thing was, even though I found comfort in knowing the truth about what had happened between us, and despite the fact that I’d forgiven Oliver, I still felt heavy on the inside whenever I thought about him. Before he ruined us, I’m fairly positive that I was on my way to loving him, and that wasn’t a feeling that would disappear overnight. It would linger in my heart for a while, and that was something that I would have to deal with. But not right now. Not here in this moment with Drew, and most definitely not when I had more important issues to wrestle with, such as my sister’s health.
“I guess you’re right,” he said.
“But?” I asked.
He rubbed his chin. “Dunno. I thought maybe there was something going on between you two.”
“Are you asking if we’re dating?” I narrowed my eyes. “’Cause we’re not.”
“Okay,” he said and held up his hands. “I was just wondering.”
After that, Drew slumped back into his seat. He looked worn out, which, after everything, was not surprising, but what bothered me was the look in his eyes. Or maybe it was a lack of a look, his eyes dull and distant.
“Drew,” I said, my mouth suddenly parched. “Are you okay?”
He took a moment to respond. “Yeah,” he said at last, but his expression was still slack.
“You don’t seem like it,” I told him.
“You know,” Drew said, rubbing his face, “you can be a real pain in the butt sometimes.”
“It’s my specialty,” I said and pressed my lips together into a tight line. He wasn’t going to joke his way out of this one. “Just tell me.”
“Fine.” He tipped his head back on his neck and stared up at the ceiling instead of looking at me. “I guess it’s just—I can’t help but think that this is her last chance.”
“What?” I asked with a frown.
“Cara’s,” he clarified, a slightly faraway look clouding his eyes. “I’m afraid this is her last chance to get better.”
Oh.Drew had never been as positive about Cara’s recovery as she had been over the course of her illness—nobody was. But at the same time, he’d never openly expressed his fears, especially one as bleak as this. A few months ago, I’d been anxious about the same thing, and I braced myself for the cold, creeping feeling of dread that would most certainly infect my mind.
But it didn’t.
“Cara doesn’t need any more chances,” I said when I realized I wasn’t scared. “She’s going to be fine.”
