Page 77 of Heal For Me

Ash grabs my hands, holding them between us with one hand and pushes some hair behind my ear with the other. “You’re here. That’s all I ever need.”

That’s not true, but if it makes him feel good, that’s all I care about right now. I curl into his chest and focus on the steady beat of his heart.

London is the prettiest city I have ever been to. Not that I’ve been to a lot of cities, but there is something so magical about this place.

It could be the company alongside me, though. Ash’s parents are the best tour guides. We are doing our big exploring tomorrow, but they are making sure to point out things as we pass.

Ash hasn’t let my hand go once, and it’s so nice getting to act like a real couple. We don’t have to worry about who might see us or what anyone thinks. I look young, but no one would know I wasn’t eighteen if they were looking, but they’re not. Ash and I totally fit in here. There are couples of all kinds, so our age gap means nothing. I think Ash has noticed and is enjoying it just as much as me. He’s in much better spirits than he was this afternoon. I’ve asked him repeatedly if everything is okay, which he continuously promises it is. I’ll need to ask more about his dreams, get him to open up, or go see someone if he doesn’t want to tell me, but I’ll save that long conversation for when we are back home.

“You made it,” Beverly cheers. Henry saunters our way, and his suit makes my biker shorts and cropped shirt look like pajamas.

“We were worried you would miss seeing the Eye.” His dad claps him on the back.

“Nah, I had to make some calls before I left the office.” Henry stops, his eyes bounce around the group before locking onto Janelle.

I flick a look at her only to see her with her face in her phone. I don’t know what she’s looking at, but she seems highly interested in it. The slight amusement that seems to always be dancing behind Henry’s eyes faulters for a moment, but he quickly recovers. Not quick enough. I saw the disappointment when Janelle wasn’t paying him any attention. Ash says his brother sleeps around, and Janelle is looking for a commitment. If he is interested in Janelle and thinks she will be a quick bone, then he better look elsewhere. Ash’s son broke her heart; I’m not letting Ash’s brother do the same.

I wrap my arm around Ash’s neck and pull his ear to my lips. “Tell your brother to find someone else to focus on.”

Ash checks out what I mean and grins. “I think you underestimate your friend’s abilities to tell him herself.”

Janelle lowers her phone and their eyes meet, a beat passes, then another and a protectiveness fills my system. “I think you underestimate how horny she is.”

Ash barks out a loud laugh, grabbing the attention from the people around us, including Henry and Janelle.

Who knew a giant Ferris Wheel would be this popular. We’ve been in line for the London Eye for nearly an hour and just now getting to the front. There’s a place to pose for a photo and then we are able to get on. A few other families join us in the egg-like tube.

Todd is back at Ash’s parents’ with a dog sitter. I wanted to bring him, but Ash warned me this may not be a very dog-friendly trip, even with him being a service animal. I was still wary until Ash’s mom told me the dog watcher was Ash’s cousin who is also a vet. I guess there’s no one better to care for my boy.

I rush to the front so I can get a good view. It’s already so pretty, but as the wheel turns, it gets even prettier. Ash steps up behind me and points various buildings out. Some popular enough I’ve seen them in movies, others not.

“It’s so beautiful,” I say as I look out over the city blanketed in artificial lighting. Seeing the world from this high up and knowing there are millions of other people living their life, makes everything seem so small.

“I’ve always loved London at night. The day is pretty, but it’s a completely different world at night.”

We move toward the middle on the way down to allow others to see, and when we get there, I find Janelle bent over and Beverly rubbing her back. I crouch down in front of her. “What’s wrong?”

“Apparently, I don’t like heights,” she croaks, a weak smile on her face, mostly for my benefit, I assume.

“You didn’t know?” Ash asks.

She shakes her head. “I’ve never been on anything this high. The carnival around us is microscopic in comparison.”

“Shit, Jay.”

“I’m good. You go look . . .” She lifts her head, eyes fleeting to the window in front of her. Her face turns a shade of green I’ve never seen on a person before. I look around for a garbage but there is none, what kind of place like this doesn’t have a garbage?!

“Are you going to throw up, sweetheart?” Worry pinches Beverly’s face. She is such a mom, and I love it so much.

Hearing her question, the other families and couples on here with us disperse from the middle, basically hovering to one side and watching in horror as they wait for the inevitable. But she doesn’t throw up, not on it. Somehow, she held it long enough for us to jump off and run to the nearest bathroom. Which, by the way, takes a freaking quarter to use?! This country is wild.

I’m holding her hair back and doing my best not to hurl, but hearing her, it’s not easy.

“On a scale of one to ten, how embarrassing was that for me?”

“Uh, like a two. Hardly embarrassing at all. I bet like a hundred people get sick on that thing a day.” Thinking like that, it doesn’t seem as romantic as it felt when we were on it anymore.

She groans into the toilet but makes sure not to actually touch it. “I think I’m fine.”

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