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THIRTY-TWO - PART 1

"Where's Theo?"

That was the first thing he asked twenty-four hours after the car crash.

And three days later, it was still on my mind. 

Not due to the question itself, but how he looked after I told him I didn't know a Theo. The sadness in his eyes and the way his brows knitted together in confusion. All over a name I didn't know. Was I supposed to know this person?

Hunter was quick to dismiss my questions about who Theo was immediately after asking. And neither of us talked about it since. In fact, we had barely spoken at all to each other since he returned home.

I tried to convince myself it was for the best. In six days, us being on speaking terms wouldn't matter; all of this would be over. I had to get used to not speaking to him anymore.

"Even though everyone said you were going to make a full recovery, I thought you were going to die," I confessed to him, my hands fumbling with the hospital bed sheet. "The doctor kept saying how it was a miracle you survived with so few injuries, but I couldn't help myself from thinking the worst. And how if that were our last conversation, I would have never forgiven myself."

"Come on, Angel." Hunter placed his hand over mine. He had used my nickname since waking up, and I didn't have the heart to tell him to stop. "It will take more than swerving out of the way for a deer to take me out."

"I don't hate you. I shouldn't have said that."

"You do."

"No, I-"

"Well, if you don't, you should, Angel. And that's okay. I would hate me too."

How could one love someone as much as they hated them?

I knew I still loved him. It didn't take a car crash for me to come to that realization suddenly. However, I realized how hard it would be for me to let him go. That was something I wasn't sure I'd ever honestly know how to do, especially at that moment.

When I returned with Lily after getting her something to eat and our mini art lesson, my heart ached to see him in that bed. And there was nothing that could pull me away from his side.

It wasn't long before he woke up. But every passing hour, minute, and second was torturous. Especially once I convinced Delilah and Ethan to go home with Lily and get some rest. 

And, if it weren't for my sudden creative ability to come flooding back, I had no clue how I would have coped.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Del, for the hundredth time, yes!" I pinned back a section of her hair. "You and Ethan deserve a romantic night out. It is Valentine's Day, after all."

"I just feel bad leaving you here to watch Lily," she said, dusting her makeup brush over her face. "Ever since Hunter's accident, I feel like I've overused your sisterly babysitting quota for, like, the year!"

"Honestly, I don't mind," I told her, meeting her glance in the reflection. "I like that she wants to spend time with me. And besides, all she wants to do is bake cookies and learn art. It's a dream come true for me."

Delilah applied a light sheen of gloss to her lips. "I wish Hunter was at least here to help. I wanted to tell Ethan I didn't think he should go out tonight, but those two have been getting along since he came home... I didn't want to interrupt that."

"He deserves a night of fun," was the only thing I could think of saying.

Although, the thought of Hunter going out on a date tonight still made my stomach churn with envy.