He’s wearing floral silk pajamas and a tight-fitting tank top. His hair is slightly mussed as if he’s been running his hands through it.
“I need to go. Something’s come up. Can you find a ride home?” I ask.
“Well, yeah, but…where are you going?” he asks, his eyes concerned, but he knows better than to touch me. I won’t allow it.
Not after Caleb.
Oh god. He’s hurt, and I wasn’t there. And he was upset with me when it happened. What if I was the reason he got hurt because he was distracted?
I rub at my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Caleb’s in the hospital. I need to leave.”
“You’re shaking. You shouldn’t drive. I…I can drive you there.”
I look over at him as I haphazardly throw my clothes into the suitcase and zip it up. If Caleb saw me now, he’d be thrilled at how messy all of this is.
“You’d do that?”
“Of course, just because…just because it’s over between us doesn’t mean we aren’t friends,” he says, quickly grabbing his clothes and shoving them into his duffel bag. “I like the big guy. Plus, I get to drive your car. We know how you never let anyone touch it. So, it’s really a win-win for both of us.”
I huff out a broken laugh and then give him the keys.
“You’re a good friend, Mag,” I tell him, and he flushes.
“I know.”
We arrive at the hospital in record time. Magnus drives like a man possessed. He’s speeding past cars, swerving around trucks, and mostly ignoring the laws of physics. I wonder if I would have been safer if I’d driven myself.
He screeches into a parking spot, and before the engine turns off, I jump out, walking quickly through the hospital entrance. Magnus jogs next to me, trying to keep up. When we step inside, I immediately see Sem and Luke leaning against the wall, cups of coffee in their hands.
They’re chatting with one another like this is no big deal. Then my mind flashes to Caleb, who told me that this is normal for them, how they usually end up hurt and injured.
Heathens, the lot of them.
“Where is he?” I ask, my eyes wild. I shove my shaking hands into my pockets and try to steady my breathing.
God, I hate hospitals. So many bad memories of places like this. All the lies I had to tell. It was so hard to keep my stories straight.
“He’s back there with Aunt Del, hopped up on pain meds.”
“What happened?” I ask curtly, and Sem and Luke both look at Magnus, standing awkwardly next to me.
“Who’s the little dude?” Sem asks, his eyes sweeping over Mag’s eclectic choice of pajamas. They’ve probably never seen a man confidently wear something so delicate. If this were any other situation, it would be laughable.
“He drove me here. We’re on the debate team together. Why does this matter? What happened to Caleb?”
Sem eyes Magnus as Luke says, “We were riding the ATVs today, and his rolled.”
“Fuck. I knew those things were dangerous,” I mutter. “And the way you all drive them. Like you’re invincible.”
“It could have been worse. All things considered,” Luke responds.
I narrow my eyes at him, and he holds up his hands. “Look, my man, you shouldn’t have come anyway. You’re too late to visit. Only family allowed back there now.”
Frustration wells up in me. I hate hospitals. Despise them. I spent too many childhood days in them. But I drove all the way here and want to see him. To touch him, to make sure he’s okay. It’s a desperate, messy feeling.
Casual. Yeah, right.
“I’m his fiancé. Will that work?”