Page 105 of Break the Ice
The sound of Finley’s voice and Jayden’s laughter. I want him toopen his eyes and look at me the same way I want her to wake up and touch me.
Desperately.
So much so that my sleepiness takes longer to take a hold of my consciousness with the dread of slipping back into darkness. Into the endless nightmare.
“I have a call to make,but when I get back, the two of you should go home. Wash, eat, rest…” I recognize Lex’s voice. “I’ll call when Eli wakes up. The neurologist said the triptans could make him drift in and out for the next twelve hours.”
My ears aren’t as muffled as they were earlier. I can hear Jayden grumble at him that he’s fine at the same time as Finley tells him she’s not leaving here without me. It’s impossible not to smile at the sound of their voices.
When I feel the blanket over me shift, I open my eyes a sliver, to be met with Jayden’s stare. He pulls back instantly, too quick for me to stop him.
Last thing I remember before the hospital is him and Finley hugging outside my door.?The new sensor kept sending alerts to my phone, making my brain pound harder into my skull.
Then, the world became topsy turvy and Jayden was there. His hands were holding my head together when it felt like it was about to explode.
Jayden’s always there. Even when I pull myself away from him. He never leaves. Like Finley.
“Are you feeling okay?” He asks me, his voice is low, making it sound mumbled.
Jayden braces himself on the edge of the bed, when I give him a subtle nod.
“Good,” is all he says with a small upturn of his lips.
“Thank you,” I croak, my mouth and throat are so dry that I can barely get the words out. Inching my hand close to where his are on the mattress, I stroke my fingertips along his. “For… everything.”
Jayden’s eyes lock on mine, crinkled at the edges with worry.
I don’t like it. The way his face is paler than usual, his eyes lack their usual glimmer of sunshine.
I’m not a tactile person—it’s safer that way—but I can’t stop myself from pushing my fingertips beneath his while he continues assessing me.
“Water,” Jayden suddenly blurts, his hand pulling back brusquely. “Do you need a drink? Your voice is drier than the Sahara.” He chokes out a laugh, looking around him at Finley and Lex before he rushes to the table by the window.
With my eyes trailing hot on his heels, I find Finley watching me at the foot of the bed. Her face is a mirror of Jayden’s—anxious and exhausted.
“Hey, Angel,” I try to inject as much levity into my voice as possible, but the dryness in my throat makes it sound weak instead.
“Hey.” Her voice is threadbare.
Patting the empty space beside me, I invite her to come closer. Finley hesitates for a second before she ambles to my side.
When she doesn’t sit, I pat the bed again. “Sit.”
“You scared me.” The warble of her voice twists my gut, and when she cautiously sets herself down next to me, I reach for her hand, tangling my fingers with hers.
I was scared too. Afraid I’d leave her. That she would never know that in spite of everything, she’s still my heart. She’s the reason I breathe and that I want to live.
“Elijah,” she squeezes my hand, “are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, just thirsty.”
I take the bottle of water Jayden offers. The subtle brush of our fingers is unintentional, but the bolt of energy that zings up my arm gives me pause.
Hours ago, he was holding me, saving me maybe... and even though everything was dark, he made me feel safe. I was terrified and he didn’t let go. He never let’s go, and I... I don’t want him to.
“You too…sit,” I tell him, my no arguments tone is cracked and broken, but Jayden lets himself down on the edge of the bed, by my feet.
Lifting Finley’s legs onto his lap, he settles far too still. Like he’s afraid to make a wrong move. The two of them are just frozen, and it's making me feel sick. Even more so that I recognize my actions in theirs.
