?LIBIA (Find my confidence)?
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Chapter Twelve.
Dear Libs, I’ll be at work all day today and possibly all night. There is a virus going around that is putting people in the hospital, and most of my coworkers have gotten it. You had it when you were young, so you’re immune, but keep an eye on your brother for me, he’s like me and susceptible to everything.
Love, Mom.
PS: You know you can talk to me about anything, right?
Libia sighed heavily as she re-ad throu-gh the letter. Her brother was on his way home from college now. She knew they’d heard her crying in her room, but her mother and her brother knew her. She’d come to them if she nee-ded their comfort. She refused it otherwise. They knew she wouldn’t tell them what was wrong until she was re-ady, either. Still, her mother liked to remind her that she could tell her anything.
Her heart still beat, surprisingly, but she still felt the pain with every thump. She always thought that when people said that they were heartbroken, it was just an expression. It was very literal. Her heart felt like it had been stabbe-d with a jagged knife, and then had been left to bleed. It’d been a week since the incident with Damon, and she’d s£nt one of the girls in her dance clas-s up with a letter to her teacher, explaining that she wouldn’t be able to make it to clas-s that week. She didn’t feel like facing him.
She jumped, pu-ll-ed from her thoughts as the phone let out a shrill ring throu-ghout the house. Who was calling her home number?
Still, she set down the letter and picked up the phone, checking the ID.
Her manager’s number?
“Hello.”
“Libia, thank God. Your brother’s here!” Vivi said frantically.
“Vivi? Why are you calling from my work? What do you mean my brother’s there?”
“I was buyin’ milk for my mom and I was gettin’ it checked out and suddenly your brother comes stumblin’ in and throws up all over the place and he’s lookin’ for you and he looks like Death himself!” Vivi finished her ramble.
Libia’s heart sank to the floor. “Oh god. Stay right there, I’m on my way!”
Libia disconnected with Vivi, and began to panic. She didn’t have a car. Her brother had taken his to college, and her mother had taken hers. “$h!t!” She cried.
She paced, knowing that it would most likely give her an anxiety attack to walk there alone. The first time she’d tried after that night, she got to the end of the street and screamed bloody murder when a car went zooming by and startled her. Not to mention, it was raining again, and the ground was p@rtially freezing because of the cold.
But she had to try. This was her brother, and he was severely sick.
She threw on a heavy coat, and gr@bb£d her house key. Her worry for her brother was overpowering her worry for herself ten fold, as she threw open the door. She jogged out into the weather, trying to comfort herself with the fact that it was raining, and she had less of a chance of being attacked.
She ran as fast as she could, despite that, alre-ady shivering. She reached the end of the street, crossing the road without looking, and suddenly heard the screetching of tires. Instinctually, a scream left herl-ips as she threw up her arms as if to protect herself, falling backwards onto her bottom.
She waited for the impact, but nothing c@m£. She opened her eyes to see a familiar BMW. Her eyes trailed up the hood, looking throu-gh the windsheild to find an achingly familiar face.
He got out of the car, as she sat there trembling.
“Libia, what the hell?” He shouted over the noise of the rain.
He kneeled down in front of her, his hair alre-ady getting soa-ked from the rain, falling in his eyes. Libia bit her l!pha-rd , and then a sob bur-st from herl-ips.
“I-I-I was trying to…to get to the g-grocery st-sto-re because my brother is-is there and-and I have to get him to the ho-hospital be-because he’s sick. And I don’t have a car and-and-and-and-”
“Libia…,” Damon whispered, pained.
“He’s sick…I-I have to-to-to-”
“Shh, come on. He’s at the grocery sto-re right? I’ll take you there.”
Libia sniffled pathetically, her breath hitching. She looked up throu-gh bleary eyes at Damon. “But…but I th-thought-”
“Libia, your brother is severely sick, right?” She nodded.
“Then I’m not going to let you take him to the hospital alone.”
She hesitated, but eventually her nee-d to go and take care of her brother won out, and she let him pu-ll her up, leading her to the car and opening the door for her.
The ride to the grocery sto-re was silent. Libia refused to look at him, although she knew he was glancing at her from time to time. She immediately threw open the door when they got there, stumbling out of the car and racing for the entrance. The doors slid open, and the first thing she saw was her brother sitting against the wall, grimacing. When he looked up and saw Libia, his worn eyes brightened.
“Libs!” He mumbled.
Libia rushed to his side, pushing all of her emotions to the side as she pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. He was h0tter than fire, and his face was pale and sweaty. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly.
“I’ve been better,” He shrugged slightly.
Vivi, who caught site of Libia while she was gr-abbing some water for Ben, jogged to where they were. “Hey, Hon. I’m glad you could get here.”
Libia nodded in greeting to Vivi. “Thank you for calling me.”
“Honey, it’s the least I could do. This boy looked like he was ‘gonna coll@pse.” Vivi waved her off.
Libia nodded in agreement, and then pu-ll-ed his arm around her shoulders, hauling him up. “Come on, big guy.”
“You be careful out in that weather,” Vivi told her, and Libia nodded, smiling slightly at Vivi.
“We will.”
Ben stumbled a little, and Libia put her hand on his che-st as she pu-ll-ed them both to go a little slower. He was terribly sick.
Ben and Libia had always been close. Since they were young, they’d been attatched by the h!p. Libia knew things that no one else in the world knew, and vise versa. She was also the only person he ever wanted near him when he was sick. Libia took care of him throu-gh all of his sicknesses. Severe flu, stomach bugs, common colds, Libia was always there to make him eat when he refused to, or to keep his covers on him when he’d try to push them off. That’s why, when he got sick this time, he went looking for her. She had told him she might have been working that morning.
Damon waited by the car, his expression serious, but Libia saw something hidden behind his eyes that she couldn’t quite discern. He opened the back door so she could put him in. She slid into the back seat with him, instructing him to lie down.
He cu-mddled his head in her l@p, his arm wra-pped around his stomach, and he closed his eyes. “Don’t open them, alright? I know how sick you get in cars,” Libia said, as Damon began driving.
He gr-unted in agreement, clutching his stomach a little ti-ghter.
Damon watched throu-gh the rear view mirror as Libia stared down at her brother with tender concern, his heart throbbe-d as he remembered that same look on her face as she held him, but he pushed those thoughts away.
“Libia…,” Ben mumbled, curling a little ti-ghter as his stomach lurched.
“What is it? Do we nee-d to pu-ll over?” She rushed out worriedly.
A smile tugged at Ben’s mouth. “No…just wondering why you look like that.”
Libia tilted her head. “Hmm?”
“Your hair is dripping…and your eyes are still red. Have you been crying…since this morning?” He asked her.
She bit herl-ip, avoiding Damon’s gaze in the mirror. “My hair is we-t because I didn’t have a car. I was running to the sto-re,” Libia told him.
Ben noticed that she didn’t answer his second question, as he opened his eyes to peer up at her. He wasn’t too sick to notice the hidden hurt de-ep in her eyes. Left over from something that happened. It confused him, but he knew not to ask her about it – she’d tell him when she wanted to.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Libia,” He muttered.
“What did you expect me to do, Ben – leave you at the sto-re?” Libia rolled her eyes. “Close your eyes before you get sick.”
He thought about arguing with his sister, but he decided against it, and obe-diantly closed his eyes.
When they arrived at the hospital, Libia helped Ben out of the car, and he leaned his weight p@rtially on her, as his world began to spin. “Whoa,” He muttered, disoriented.
Libia watched him closely, as his eyes followed the spinning of the earth. Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry. Cold fear spre-ad throu-gh her lim-bs at how sick he bec@m£ in just a short time.
They entered the lobby of the hospital, the woman behind the counter looked up, just as Ben let out a sick gag and fell forward onto his hands and knees. “Ben!” Libia cried, as he began choking up.
“I’ll get a doctor!” The woman said in alarm.
Damon stood behind them, unable to move as Libia watched her brother vomit all over the floor. He was struck by the sight of it. Was that…blood?
“Oh, God. Ben…you’re throwing up blood!” Libia was close to crying now, her voice shaking and thick.
The doctor c@m£ rushing in, the nurse by his side. “Get him into emergency care, we’ve got to put him on antibiotics immediately!” He told her, kneeling down beside the boy on the other side of Libia.
Libia pushed herself out of the way, as the nurse leaned down in her place, looping her arm un-der his. The doctor and she hauled him up, helping him walk – or stumble – down the hall. Libia was trembling in fear for her brother. The cold feeling settling like a sheet over her heart. She took a step forward, to follow them, and her knees buckled.
“Libia!” Damon gr-unted, lurching forward and wra-pping his arms around her from the back, catching her.
“Don’t t©uçh me!” She shrilled, breaking from his grasp.
She spun around to face him, her breathing slowly turning into hyperventilation. “Libia…,” Damon mumbled, surprise.
“I’m…fine! Why are you here, anyway? Why are you helping me? You got what you want, you don’t have to pretend anymore!” She cried.
“Libia-” He was cut off as she lunged forward and her hand wh!pped out, sma-cking him.
She had to admit, her hand stung.
He ru-bbe-d his jaw, looking at her in surprise, and pain.
“You had no right to do the things you did, Damon! You…you protected me, made me feel like…like I was finally able to trust someone and then…and then I find out it’s all just a ploy. A stupid game you pla-yed on an innocent…stupid girl who doesn’t know any better!” She ranted, her fists beating his che-st, trying to cause him pain.
“Libia, that wasn’t-”
“A-and to t©p it all off, you k!$$£d me! You k!$$£d me like…like it meant something to you! Like I meant something to you! It’s so goddamn confusing! What do you want from me, Damon?” She cried.
Damon’s f!ngerswra-pped around her wrists, knowing that most of this was caused by the stress of her brother’s condition. She would never admit any of this out loud unless she’d been holding it in too long. But also, it was his fault. He’d hurt her, just a short time after she’d been humiliated in as-s£ntially the same way. But it was for the best, he decided. She didn’t deserve a guy like him.
But right now, he couldn’t leave her like this. If he left her alone, he’d feel like the biggest as-s to ever walk the earth, so he pu-ll-ed her close, and he held her ti-ght against him.
She struggled for a few seconds, wanting to sma-ck him again, but soon her struggles died, and she melted into his arms, crying into his che-st. He let his f!ngersstro-ke her we-t hair, as he buried his face into the t©p of her head.
“I’m so sorry,” He whispered un-der his breath, too low for Libia to hear.
“Why, Damon? You can’t just…leave like that without telling me why!” She mumbled.
His arm ti-ght£ñed a little. She was right, of course. He owed her an explanation. He’d been planning on telling her anyway, but his stupid self chickened out.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the shrill ring of his cellphone cut him off. He sighed and reluctantly re-leased her, digging in his pocket and sli-pping his phone out. He grimaced when he saw the number.
Answering it, he carefully wiped the tears away from Libia’s cheeks as he spoke. “Yeah.”
“Where the hell are you?” His mother growled at him.
Libia watched his expression darken. Immediately she knew it wasn’t someone he wanted to talk to at the moment.
“A friend of mine nee-ded a ride,” He replied vaguley.
She watched his expression as his mother said something else to him. It was strangely cold. Unfamiliar.
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” He said, and then muttered, “bit-ch.”
Libia blinked in surprise. She wondered who he was speaking to, that he would be so cold to. He sh0t her an apologetic look, seeing her surprise.
“No, I didn’t say anything. Yeah. Bye.”
He stuffed his phone back in his pocket, and unnexpectedly pu-ll-ed her back into a ti-ght hvg. He pressed hisl-ips to her forehead, before he let her go. He turned and strode away from her without a word, and she was stuck watching him go, unable to form a single protest.
She had no idea her mother had been watching the scene, until she turned to follow the hallway where her brother was taken, and found her, shoulder leaning on the wall, eyes narrowed, with an accusing smile that said, ‘I knew it!’
Libia’s cheeks heated up to melting degrees, as she ducked her head and attem-pted to walk past her mother.
“Oh no you don’t, Libia!” Her mother exclaimed, promptly grasping her arm and dragging her back.
Libia suppressed the urge to gro-an . “Do you have to be p@rty to all of my drama?” Libia asked her.
“Of course I do – I’m your mother. Now tell me what happened,” She demanded.
Libia crossed her arms. “I think we should go check up on Ben-”
“Nons-en-se. He’s fine. I c@m£ from there to see where you dissapeared to. Now spill,” Her mother told her, leaning on the wall again.
Libia looked around at the open halls, and then gro-an ed. “Can we at least sit down?”
***
Her mother set down a steaming, foam cu-p of coffee in front of her, as they sat in the waiting room near Ben’s. He was slee-ping now, after having thrown up the contents of everything he’d eaten since he was born.
Sitting down across from her in the comfortable, leather chair, her mother gave her a pointed look.
Libia looked into her mother’s eyes, those familiar, warm, sometimes-childish eyes, and suddenly her own filled with tears, and she threw her face into her hands, crying.
She spilled what she could about their strange relationsh!p- never telling her mother about Johnson or Damon’s offer to “change her.” But the more important things. When he would smile at her, and bu-tterflies would suddenly flutter like crazy in her stomach. The fact that he never seemed to not be tou-ching her when they were together – his arm around her shoulders, his hand grasping hers, brushing the hair from her face. And all the k!sses that they shared – her forehead, her cheeks…herl-ips. Finally, she told her about the night that they had spent together. He’d stumbled into the door, and straight into her arms, drun!k. He’d told her about his parents. He’d k!$$£d her like his life depended on it, begging her not to question it. And then…he left her, his words cold, and his face one of stone.
When she was done, sniffling and hiccu-ping as she wiped her nose, her mother let out a tired laugh, shaking her head.
Libia looked up with blurry eyes, sniffling. “What?”
“That boy–you know what? He has to tell you on his own. Let me just say, that you mean a lot more to him than he lets on.”
Libia wiped her eyes, shaking her head. “But he-”
“He did that to protect you, Libia. Frankly, a man who leaves you thinking he’s not good enough, is a man you nee-d to hold on to.” Her mother laughed again.
Libia wrinkled her eyebrows. “Protecting me? He’s not good enough? What?”
Her mother smiled at her. “Talk to him. Beat it out of him if you have to. It’s obvious – painfully so – that the boy cares about you. There’s something he’s protecting you from, Libia.”
Libia blinked at her mother. “Protecting me?” She repeated. “From what?”
Her mother shook her head in exhasperation. “I am not a mind re-ader!”
Libia held up her hands. “Alright. Alright I get it. But how am I supposed to get him to talk to me?”
Her mother looked down at her cu-p. “You know him better than I do, Honey.”
Sighing, Libia pressed herl-ips together. She didn’t know him well enough.
***
Libia walked throu-gh the halls of her school, heading for lunch. Vivi trailed after her, rambling on about an argument she had with her b©yfri£nd. Libia made an effort to listen, but her mind was sh0t. Three days ago, her mother had been as healthy as a horse, and now she was sick. Libia had been up all night helping her mother to and from the bathroom in her hospital room, seeing as the hospital was short on nurses. She had a bagel the morning before, but she couldn’t remember eating anything after that.
She’d been nodding in agreement when appropriate, feeling guilty that she wasn’t listening.
She st©pped by her locker to put her books away, as her good friend leaned on the locker next to hers. She put them away without looking at them, her eyes unfocused. She noticed that Vivi paused, looking at her expectantly, so she nodded, as usual, as she closed her locker and began walking again.
Vivi’s eyes furrowed. “Hon, I just asked you if you thought cheese grew from trees,” Vivi told her.
Her cheeks flu-shed. “Sorry.”
“Are you okay, Sweetie? You look pale as a theater performer with stage fright!”
Libia sh0t her friend a glare, before muttering, “I’m alright. Just tired.”
Vivi gave her friend a disbelieving look. “You look like Casper the ghost!”
Libia rolled her eyes as they entered the cafeteria, “My mom has that bad virus, and my brother is recovering. I volenteered as an as-sistant nurse because they were short on staff. I was up all night with my mom. It’s no big deal,” Libia shrugged, before she was hit with a dizzy spell, and she stumbled forward a few steps.
Vivi caught her, her eyebrows furrowing. “Libia, Honey, you’re dead on your feet.”
The dizzyness faded, and Libia straightened. “I’m fine. I’ve gotten used to the dizziness.”
Libia winced. She hadn’t meant to let that sli-p.
“Gotten used to it? Libia, you mean you’ve been havin’ these more than once?” Vivi asked, leading her over to a table and sitting her down.
Libia sighed. “Just…a couple of times…since this morning.”
Vivi sh0t her an incredulous look. “When is the last time you ate?”
Her cheeks went red again. “Um…sometime yesterday…?”
“Libia!” Vivi suddenly shouted, calling everyone’s attention.
Libia went redder, as she tried to quiet her friend down.
“Do you realize how stupid that is? You haven’t eaten, you haven’t sle-pt, my god Libia!” She kept on ranting, and Libia sank dee-per into her chair in embarras-sement.
She stomped off, still ranting, and Libia covered her heated face with her hands, looking throu-gh her f!ngersas her friend shoved some poor kid out of the way, and started shoveling food into a tray. Libia gulped.
Vivi slammed money on the counter, waving the cashier off when she tried to give her change, and stomped back over to Libia.
She flin-ched as Vivi slammed the tray down beside her, giving her that motherly, scathing, dissaproving look. “Eat!”
Libia looked at the random foods that had been thrown on the tray, grimacing as her stomach rolled, having shrank from not eating.
“Well…I’m not very-” Vivi cut her off, gr-abbing a chicken nugget and shoving it into her mouth.
Libia stared up at Vivi with wi-de eyes, unnaware that she could be so demanding, the girl had only ever been sweet to Libia. Slowly, she started to chew, refusing to let herself register what she was doing. As long as she could fool her mind into thinking she wasn’t eating, she could keep the nausea at bay.
At least, she hoped that was the case.
As soon as she swallowed the chicken, Vivi smiled brightly, as if she didn’t just turn into Robo-Mom. She plopped down beside Libia, taking a tater tot for herself, and popping it in her mouth. “You should have called me when your mother got sick. I could have volenteered too,” She muttered throu-gh her food.
Libia shrugged, taking another nugget. “I didn’t think about it.”
Damon watched from afar, slightly amused at what he’d just seen, and slightly horrified at Libia’s appearance. Did she realize how terrible she looked on the outside? Her skin was so pale, she looked like she just c@m£ from an extended trip un-der a rock. He could literally see her shoulders slumping with the weight of the responsibilities she carried. Even so, she was still beautiful.
Libia felt eyes on her back, and she knew who’s they were. Was her mother right? Was he only trying to protect her? Or was Libia chasing false hope?
She’d resolved to catch him alone…somehow, and talk to him, but he always seemed to be gone after school. Libia sighed. He was definitely avoiding her.
Libia had been slowly changing. She wore her hair in a high ponytail today, and she’d wra-pped a spiked br@celet around the thick band twice, which Vivi had complimented her on. Her knee high, leather boots sported silver spikes on the toes to match her hair. She felt like biker chick. The thing about all this was, she was much more comfortable in her own skin this way. Despite having to wear the uniform, she made it work, wearing a black, long sleeve shi-t un-derneath it so she could leave the uniform shi-t un-bu-ttoned.
This change was all thanks to Damon, of course. She wasn’t as shy as she used to be, either. She met eyes with people, was able to talk more freely.
“Hey, Libia, your phone’s ringing,” She was pu-ll-ed from her reverie, suddenly picking up the shrill of her brother’s ringtone.
Her breath caught, and she immediately answered the phone. “What’s wrong?”
“Libia…Mom has a bad fever. She’s halucinating.” He told her, his voice shaking and weak.
Libia gave her friend the one minute sign, standing up and heading over to the cafeteria door. “You don’t sound too good yourself.”
“No I…I don’t feel too good either. It’s bad, though, Libs. It’s not going down.”
Libia bit herl-ip, before saying, “I’ll be there in no time. Call me if anything else happens, alright?”
He hummed in agreement, before they disconnected. Libia rushed back over to her table, gathering her things. “Libia, you’ve had two chicken nuggets!” Vivi protested.
“I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency. Will you let the principal know that I left early?” She asked, alre-ady feeling exhaustion weigh her shoulders down.
“Honey, you’re over working yourself!” She stressed.
“I know that, but it’s not a big deal!” Libia cried, her frustration brimming. “I don’t have time to worry about myself, and it wouldn’t be justified, either. My family is seriously ill right now! The least I can do is be there for them!”
Vivi sat back, surprised at her outbur-st. She’d never heard the girl’s voice get that loud before.
Libia ru-bbe-d her temples. “I-I’m sorry. Will you just tell the principle I left early?”
Nodding, Vivi mumbled, “Yeah. Sure thing, Hon. How are you going to get there?”
“I’ll take the bus,” Libia answered, slinging her backpack over her shoulders.
She began ma-king her way towards the door, when a wave of dizziness, and she stumbled. Vivi lunged to catch her, and Damon stood up abruptly from where he watched.
She shook her head of the dizziness, pushing gently away from Vivi. “I’m fine,” She repeated firmly.
Vivi watched her walk away, worry clenching her heart, as a murmer of voices echoed throu-gh the on-looking crowd, some worried, some confused. “The girl’s too good for her health.”
Vivi backed into the table, sinking down in her seat. Everyone watched as Damon walked across the cafeteria, gr@bb£d two large water bottles and a packaged sandwich, paid for them, and then followed Libia. Vivi smiled, comforted by the knowledge that he would be there for her.
***
She st©pped at her locker, stuffing her backpack in with her spare books, and slammed it closed. Libia yelped in surprise as Damon’s face c@m£ into view. “What are you doing here?” She asked, a hand on her racing heart.
He sighed, “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
For a few seconds, Libia’s dead mind jumped to the conclusion that he was taking her to the hospital to admit her, before she shook her head in two quic-k movements to clear her thoughts. “Oh…thanks,” She mumbled.
They walked in silence, the only sound between them was their feet against the ha-rd tile. Libia was dead on her feet, unable to form a word, and Damon was busy watching her to make sure she didn’t pas-s out.
They reached the car, and Damon hurried to open the door for her, helping her in.
“Thank you,” She murmured, before he closed the door.
The drive was quiet, as Libia stared out the window. Her fogged mind tried to comprehend that Damon was speaking to her again, but it wouldn’t catch up. She was completely shredded. Her eyes drifted closed, as she leaned her forehead on the glas-s. She had no idea what she was going to do when she reached the hospital.
“When is the last time you had substantial food?” Damon inturrupted her thoughts, fli-ckering a glance in her direction.
She su-cked in a long breath, before muttering as she exhaled, “I think it was…yesterday…sometime….”
Shaking his head, he threw the sandwich he’d bought for her in her l@p, and then demanded, “Eat it.”
She looked down at the two little triangles of bre-ad stuffed into a tiny plastic box, and for some reason, her heart warmed. “Thank you.”
He didn’t answer, so she unwra-pped the sandwich, and began to eat one of the halves.
“And the last time you had a full glas-s of water?” He interrogated.
Her cheeks warmed. “Sometime around four last night…?”
Without another word, he threw both waters into her l@p as well, and then demanded, “Drink them both.”
She looked up at him as she chewed her food, wincing at the brooding look on his face. “Are you angry at me?”
For a second, the brooding expression stayed, but then his face softened, and he sighed. “I’m only angry that you let yourself go without food for so long. Not to mention you dehydrated yourself to the point of dizzyspells!” He slowed down and st©pped at a red light, closing his eyes for a moment.
Libia blinked in surprise when he turned his head, and opened his eyes to look at her. Those blue depths were wrou-ght with emotion. “You have no idea how ha-rd it’s been, Libia. Watching you from across the room, knowing that I could just walk that short distance and see your soft brown eyes up close. Seeing you smile, and knowing that it wasn’t directed at me…it’s been agonizing,” He murmured.
“Damon…,” Libia whispered, the breath stolen from her lungs.
The glow of the green light throu-gh the cold fog caught both of their attention, and Damon broke their gaze. The car was silent as they turned into the hospital parking lot, Libia unable to form a word.
He slid into a parking space, turning the car off. Both of them sat in the now dormant car, and Damon refused to meet Libia’s eyes.
“I don’t have time for you to explain to me now – I nee-d to make sure my mother’s alright…but plea-se, if you want my forgiveness for hurting me, you have to explain to me why you did it in the first place,” She said softly. “Damon, you’ve treated me unlike any other man I’ve ever met. You’ve made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I know that you left me for a reason. You wouldn’t trick me, not like Johnson did. I want to know why you left me…and I want to know the real reason.”
they stared at each other for a few minutes, before Damon gave a stiff, reluctant nod.
Libia gr@bb£d her waters from her l@p, and opened the door, she paused to look at him. “Are you staying here?”
Another nod.
“Then wait for me in the waiting room. As soon as my mother gets settled, we’ll talk.”
He gave no indication of cons£nt, only opened his door and got out of the car. Libia jumped out with him and they jogged to the entrance. Damon pushed open the door and ushered her in, before he ran in behind her.
Libia started for the front desk, but Damon gr@bb£d her arm, and dragged her close.
“Don’t push yourself, Babe.”
And she felt the familiar warmth of hisl-ips on her forehead.
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Tbc