Page 84 of Releasing 10
His smell was all around me and it was my favorite smell in the whole world.
Soap, grass, strawberries, and Hugh.
Closing the space between me and the bed, I trailed my fingertips over the Hugh-shaped figure beneath the duvet. “It’s me.”
Silence greeted me.
Sighing sadly, I glanced out the window next, peering at the house across the street, before returning my attention to the boy under the duvet.
Wordlessly, I kicked off my sandals and smoothed a hand over where I thought his cheek might be before reaching for the covers.
Peeling them back, I quickly climbed in beside him and covered us back up, concealing us from the summer sunshine. “Hi.”
This time he answered. “Hi.”
Nestling in close to his warm body, I rested on my side, facing him.
Even though he was doing his very best to cloak himself in darkness, sunlight still managed to beam its way through, cloaking him in a glorious, shiny hue.
Exhaling heavily, I reached up and pressed my hand to his cheek, feeling the wetness from where his tears had dripped.
Sniffling, he reached up and covered my hand with his, never saying a word.
That was the thing about me and Hugh: sometimes we never needed to speak at all.
We just knew what the other was feeling.
Right now, he was sad.
He was so sad because of Joe and Bethany.
But he was even sadder that his dad wasn’t coming out of his bedroom.
You see, Hugh liked to fix problems, and he was usually really good at it, but this was something he couldn’t fix.
It was a problem for the grown-ups, not us kids.
Snuggling in closer, I leaned in close until my nose rubbed against his.
That made him smile.
Another sniffle escaped him, but this one held the air of finality to it, like he was finished crying—or at least he had decided he was.
Removing the hand he was resting on top of mine, he placed it on my cheek instead. “I love you.”
My heart thumped like a drum in my chest because this was the first time he said those words out loud. “You do?”
Nodding slowly, he stroked my cheek with his thumb and exhaled a shaky breath. “I just thought you should know.” A shiver racked through him. “In case anything happens and I don’t get to tell you.”
“What’s going to happen?”
“Maybe nothing.” He exhaled a shaky breath and whispered, “But you never know what tomorrow could bring.”
“I know what tomorrow will bring, Hugh,” I replied. “You and me. Same as yesterday and same as today. Being best friends forever.” Smiling, I leaned in close and brushed his nose with mine. “No matter what.”
“Yeah, Liz.” His lips grew into a small smile. “No matter what.”
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS AND FUTURE WARNINGS
