“I’d say that’s the first step to recovery.”
A hint of a smile lifted his lips. “I’m not going to run or freak out. Well…I may still freak out, I don’t know. But I want to understand.”
I could read between those lines: he wanted to understand me. Maybe even us. If he couldn’t hear the way my heart pounded, I would’ve been shocked.
“Okay,” I managed to say. “I accept your apology.”
His shoulders sagged in relief. “Good. That’s good.”
We fell into silence, with only the whir of the fans and the distant yells and laughing of neighborhood children playing to fill the space between us. I knew there was more weighing on his mind, but I was content to sit there with him for as long as he needed.
Eventually, he said, “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask me lots of questions.”
“I gravitated toward you because you were familiar to me. That’s what my mom said.”
“You told me the same.”
“I did?”
I nodded.
“But”—his forehead wrinkled—“I’m not sure I follow. How can someone I never met be familiar?”
“Well, we saw each other at Joe’s.”
“That’s it? You were familiar because I passed you getting coffee every morning?”
“That and, you know, pulling you out of a wrecked car. You were coherent enough after your accident that you remembered me.”
Reid reared back in his chair. “Oh. I see.” He drummed his fingers along the edge of the armrest. “Did I ever thank you for that? For saving me that day?”
I smiled. “You have. Many times.”
“Right. Good. At least I never forgot my manners, huh?” he joked. I decided to go along with it, ease the nerves I could see manifesting in his movements.
“Yes, you were always very polite, even when you invited yourself along when I’d go for a run.”
His eyes went round. “No, I did not.”
“You did,” I said, chuckling.
“Oh my God.” He groaned and covered his face. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. I wanted you around. Trust me.”
“But that sounds like pest behavior. Are you sure you weren’t just feeling sorry for me?”
“Definitely not,” I said, as he lifted his head. “I was flattered by your attention. I wanted more of it.”
Reid took a deep breath and bit down on his bottom lip, and I wondered if I’d gone too far. Was I supposed to remind him of my affection for him? Keep it friendly? There wasn’t a guidebook to steer me in the right direction of “how not to scare off your brain-injured exes,” so I was winging it the best I could.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said slowly. “I’d like to get to know you, Ollie. Again. If you’ll let me.”
I had to look down as the sting behind my eyes made it clear tears were well on their way, and I thought for a minute I’d need a defibrillator to jolt my heart back into beating. I never thought I’d hear those words from him. I never thought he’d be sitting across from me, ready and willing to open himself up again, and even though he still seemed hesitant and a bit shy, the fact that he was here meant everything.
“Ollie, I can’t…promise anything?—”