Page 182 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“Hey, do you think we say it too much?”

“Say what too much?”

“Cole! You know what I mean.”

I did. But it was so cute to watch her get all worked up.

“There’s no rule, Sofe. I want you to know without even a molecule of doubt that I love you.”

“You’re such a goofball.”

“But I’myourgoofball.” I grinned, and she let out a soft chuckle.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors whooshed open.

“Where are we?” Sofia asked, peering into the quiet hall.

“You’ll see, come on.”

We walked to the end of the hall and hit a left, the emergency door right where I expected it to be.

“Cole,” she breathed.

“Relax. I’ve got you.”

The door swung open with a little push, the frigid winter air whipping around us. I spotted the wooden pergola and guided Sofia over to it.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“It’s one of the nurse’s break stations.”

“Romantic.”

“Right.” I chuckled. “We have about fifty minutes before we’ll be inundated with cranky hospital staff.” I smiled when I spotted the little pile of supplies.

“Who did all this?”

“I may have gotten a couple of the nurses to help my cause.”

“And what is your cause?”

“You. Giving you a reason to smile. Showing you that just because this is your life right now, doesn’t mean I can’t make the effort. Hungry? We have a selection of pre-packed sandwiches, chips, and cookies. It’s not five-star cuisine but it’ll taste a damn sight better than some of the stuff they serve you here.”

I looked over at her, but she was paralyzed to the spot, staring at me with a strange expression. “Sofia? Is everything—”

She launched herself at me, anchoring her arms around my shoulders. “Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“You’re quite the fan of pre-packed sandwiches, huh?”

“Cole!” she cried.

“I know. Sofe. I know.” I hugged her tighter.

I’d wanted to do this—to dosomething—before everything got intense. I had a good feeling about Aaron’s results. I hadn’t told Sofia because I didn’t want to get her hopes up. But my girl was due a bit of good news.

“Let’s sit.” I dropped a kiss on her forehead and tugged her over to the wooden bench. One of the nurses had left us some blankets and there were heated lamps attached to the pergola’s roof which took the chill off.

We shared the cafeteria food and talked about anything and everything that wasn’t to do with her treatment or the hospital or the next few months of her life. It was nice. Normal. Well, as normal as it could be sitting on a hospital roof on a date with my girlfriend.

---