Page 100 of Heal Me, Love Me

My irritation continued to build. He’d been talking about sponsorships after training. Meanwhile, I was sitting in a sling, trying to figure out how the hell I was supposed to put on a shirt with one hand.

“You there?” he asked when I didn’t say anything.

“Sorry, I just zoned out. It’s been a long day,” I said, as if I wasn’t comparing our situations or feeling a bit jealous.

“I can imagine.” His voice softened on the last word enough that guilt immediately followed. He wasn’t the reason I got hurt, and it wasn’t fair for me to be short with him over something he had no part in. “You could come here,” he suggested after a few seconds.

“What?”

“Come to Tampa,” he clarified. “While you’re sidelined.”

A part of me wanted to say yes right away. I could stay with him for a few weeks. We could wake up beside each other instead of talking on the phone, one of us exhausted and the other pretending not to be lonely.

For a second, I let myself picture it. Then I looked down at the sling. “I like that idea, but let me get through my next appointment before we make any plans.”

“That makes sense. Maybe you could fly back here with me after Thanksgiving?”

“You’re coming home?”

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it work, but who else is going to kiss your shoulder better?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I have a feeling if I don’t make the trip now, it might be a while before I get out to California.”

Because things are going well for you.

While I was mostly excited for him, jealousy kept trying to creep in.

“Text me later?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“And Keaton?”

“What?”

“Don’t rush this.”

I looked down at the sling around my shoulder. “I’ll try.”

“That’s not reassuring.”

“It’s the best you’re getting right now.”

He sighed like he expected that answer. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

The call ended, and then Mason looked over at me. “Did he say he was going to kiss your shoulder to make it better?”

I shot him a glare. “You’re nosy as fuck.”

“Yeah, but your boyfriend talks too quietly, so I wasn’t sure if I heard him correctly.”

“You did,” I mumbled under my breath, grinning for the first time since I got hurt.

“You two are disgustingly cute.”