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“But . . . but I’m on a generic ADHD medication—not a known one. How would you know?”
“Google,” he said. “I didn’t know if it was for a heart problem or something I needed to know about.”
“And it didn’t change anything?”
“Other than me giving you space to take your medication and being sure you ate after taking it so you wouldn’t be sick, then no. None of it changes a thing.”
“O-oh,” she said. “But I didn’t . . . shit, I forgot to take it. No wonder I’ve felt like garbage today.”
Unneeded words filtered through her mind.
“So, this is the real you, then? Not all dumbed down by medication?”
“You don’t even need this poison.”
It was Andrew, haunting her once again.
Daniel stood and went to her purse, grabbing the bottle. She watched him, trying to think of ways to get it refilled if he threw it out.
“Here,” he said, holding it out to her with her bottle of water.
“What are you doing?”
“You need to take it. I’m sorry if me being here has made you feel like you couldn’t, but it’s good for you to be on what you need to function.”
Amelia reached out slowly with shaky hands and grabbed the bottle. She gripped it tight in her fist. “I . . . I’ll have to take it in the morning. It’ll keep me up all night if I take it too late. But t-thank you. I appreciate it.” She smiled.
“Then what would help? Dinner?”
“You’re not mad?”
“About what?”
“About me needing medication.”
“Absolutely not,” he replied. “I mean . . . I wish I had known sooner, but I get why you didn’t tell me. I figured it was the ex. I just didn’t know how bad it was.”
She wiped at her face, embarrassed. “Yeah. He was . . . awful. He didn’t believe in how much the medication was necessary for me to function. He’d make fun of me for needing it, and then when I wasn’t on it, I started showing symptoms, and I mean the nuanced ones, like forgetting the dishes, or not being able to listen, or going on tangents . . .” She blushed. “Like I’m doing now.”
Daniel’s lips pressed together. “Amelia, it’s fine. All of it is. He’s the one who was wrong.”
“I know,” she said. “And it’s not like I believe him now. It’s just . . . I grew up with this amazing family, and Andrew was so different, and he would say everyone thought like he did. So, I assumed that my family was different. Maybe everyone else was like him, so it became easier to just hide it. And then with dating, I didn’t think I could trust someone again.”
“And how do you feel now?”
“I’m starting to think I trust you,” she said.
“I’m honored you do.” He brushed a hand over her wet cheek. “And I’ll do my best to make sure you never feel like you’re not enough again. You’re safe when you’re with me. I can’t promise no one will ever hurt you, no matter how much I might want to, but I can promise that I’ll do my best to make sure it’s never me who does it.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you, and that means I am with you through all of it, never against you. And if you don’t feel the same way, that’s fine, but I just hope that one day you do.”
She couldn’t help the laugh of disbelief that came out of her mouth. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not kidding,” he said. “I’m telling you the truth.”
She stared at him, trying to find signs of a lie.
