AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you,” Lyric sobs. “No one would take me. I begged, but everyone I talked to told me I was being dramatic, or they ignored me. You were the first person I thought of to call.”
We pull out of the campus, heading to the emergency room as fast as I can get us there without breaking any traffic rules. “Just hang on tight,” I tell her. “He’s going to be okay.”
Eli fusses in the backseat, clearly in pain. As soon as we arrive, I help Lyric by holding the baby as she rushes inside to explain the situation. A nurse comes out with a gurney for him, and we lay him on it, watching them take him away to get him cooled down.
Tears run down her cheeks as she signs him in and provides all his medical information. “Thank you for helping me,” shesays as she sits next to me. “I can’t thank you enough. After everything…”
“I would never,everput a kid’s life in jeopardy like that,” I tell her. “No matter what is going on between us, your kid will always be safe around me.”
Lyric sniffles. “Can you come back when I check on him? I can’t be alone right now.”
I nod and follow as the nurse leads us to Eli’s room. When I walk in, I’m taken aback at how small he is. The bed all but swallows him up, he’s got an IV in his arm and a breathing cannula in his nose, he looks so scared and helpless. Approaching with Lyric, I stand off to the side and study him for a moment.
Eli stares up at me, blue eyes gazing at me with intensity. I’m struck by how much he looks just like baby photos of me. We’ve got the same mouth, the same heavy brow, the same small eyes… it’s strange how uncannily similar we look.
“This is Archer,” Lyric says to him. “He’s a friend and he’s going to be with me while they help you get better, okay, baby?”
Something uncomfortable settles in my chest, and I wonder if this kid might be my son. “Hi, Eli,” I say, reaching out for him. He grasps my hand with his and holds it tightly. “Nice to meet you. I’m sorry you’re not feeling good. I hope you get better soon.”
The nurse comes in again and explains that they think Eli has the croup. They’re going to have him on antibiotics as soon as they can bring his fever down to a safer level. I feel awkward and out of place, but I can’t leave, knowing that Lyric needs me right now.
So I go sit on a hard plastic chair while Lyric dotes over him, making sure he’s comfortable and entertained.
“How old is he?” I ask, suddenly curious. “He’s small.”
“He’s… fourteen months,” Lyric says, turning to glance at me, then looking away quickly.
I frown. So there’s no way he can be mine since the timing doesn’t add up. It’s merely a coincidence that we look similar, nothing more. But it doesn’t matter if he’s mine. Right now, he needs Lyric and she needs me.
“I’m staying here,” I tell her. “Until he’s released. I meant what I said. I’m going to make sure your child is safe.”
But a thought nags at me. Was Lyric lying about his age? Is it possible he’s older than he looks? I don’t know why, but I can’t stop thinking about the way she looked when she told me his age.
Whatever might be going on, now isn’t the time to question her, though. I’m just going to stay until I’m certain her son is okay, then I’ll quietly extract myself from her life once more.
26
ZANE
As the weeks pass after we cut all contact with Lyric, it feels like a relief at first. The constant drama, the tension—it all disappeared overnight. I could focus on classes, the fraternity and my life without the constant reminder of her presence. It was a breath of fresh air and I thought maybe we had made the right decision.
But as the days turned into weeks, that relief started to fade. I find myself thinking about her more often than I'd like to admit. I miss her presence, the way she’d challenge us and even the fire in her eyes when she was angry. I miss the way she made me feel less alone.
I try to distract myself with frat events, parties, and endless studying, but nothing seems to fill the void she left behind. The house feels emptier without her, and I catch myself looking for her in the crowd, hoping for a glimpse of her, even though I know it’s pointless.
Levi and Archer don’t talk about her much, but I can see it in their eyes. We’re all struggling, pretending that everything’s fine when it’s not. The nights are the worst. I lie awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment we spent together,every intimate moment, every joke we shared, every flirtatious moment.
Did we make a mistake? Did we go too far?
I push the thoughts away, but they always come back, nagging at me, whispering that we were wrong. I want to believe that cutting her off was the right move and that we’re better off without her. But deep down, I know it’s a lie. I miss her, more than I ever thought possible.
The holidays are approaching fast, and Levi and I have joined the committee to decorate the house. We stand outside one afternoon together, working on stringing lights on the exterior trim. We watch campus life bustle around us, a group of friends laughing and talking, couples holding hands, sharing secrets and I feel a pang of envy.
Levi looks up at me where I’m on the ladder and touches my leg. “Hey. You okay?” he asks, his voice low.
I hook a strand and shrug. “Yeah, just thinking.”
“About her?” he asks, and I can’t help but nod.
