Page 10 of Stars Like Confetti

I nodded.

“Good; I’m dying.”

I laughed, the blur of them rushing into the bathroom and shutting the door. “You could’ve come in,” I called.

“I didn’t want to assume!”

“You didn’t happen to grab my meds, did you?” I asked, scanning the area.

“No, but don’t wait around on me. Go take them and get some breakfast.”

Something about separating from them tugged in my chest. “Are you sure?”

The toilet flushed, and the door cracked open. Goddamn, Theo looked good all mussed from sleep. Their voice was still raspy too. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to push my meds a little longer…

“I’m sure. I need to shower and check in at the office. You don’t want to push your meds off too long.”

Shamelessly raking my eyes over their smooth stomach and toned legs, I nodded. “Okay. Thank you for last night.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that, Shea. I’m always here if you need me.”

With that, Theo stepped away from the door. When the shower turned on, I took that as my cue to leave. It was still really early, but the sun was already high in the sky. Heat and humidity lingered in the air like a thick fog, the lake almost beckoning me to jump into the cool water awaiting me. Despite the short journey to the Snoopy cabin, sweat beaded along my hairline and dripped down my face. The couple was gone, but Tyler was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. He garbled something at me when I walked in, but I couldn’t have even begun to understand what it was. Thankfully, he rinsed his mouth and repeated himself. “Feeling better?”

Trying to hide my embarrassment, I nodded. I wasn’t entirely proud of causing such a fuss in the middle of the night. I hadn’t had a nightmare like that in forever. “Yeah, I am. Thank you for calling them.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.” He raised his arm, wiping toothpaste off his mouth. He was shirtless, wearing only his jeans. My eyes were naturally drawn down to where the fluffy edge of his diaper poked over the waistband. “Sorry,” he murmured when he noticed me watching. He grabbed for his shirt sitting on the counter. “I forget about it sometimes.”

“Don’t be sorry. I um…” I squirmed, rubbed the back of my neck. “I wore one last night.”

I didn’t even know that I wanted to talk about it until the words were out of my mouth, but I suppose it was for the best. I knew I could have talked to Theo, but maybe talking to another Little about it first would help—someone with experience.

The night before, Tyler had been the one who found me hyperventilating on the shower bench in the bathroom, making a desperate attempt at calming myself. He was walking funny and despite me trying to get him to go back to bed, he sat with me until Kaylee showed up, wiggling in place. I knew he was wet, and likely uncomfortable, but he refused to leave me on my own. Even after Kaylee arrived and helped me hop onto the changing table, Tyler lingered nearby. Instead of using the private changing room, he grabbed what he needed and ducked into a toilet stall to change while Kaylee cleaned up my face. Watching him had only piqued my curiosity, and I should have known that Theo would pick up on it. They’d always been able to read me like a book.

“And?” Tyler asked. He still tugged on his shirt, and I could only hope that he wasn’t doing it because he thought I was uncomfortable. “Did you enjoy it?”

“I did.” My answer was instant, without hesitation, but shame heated my cheeks. “I couldn’t bring myself to use it though.”

Tyler lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “That’s okay. Some people don’t, but if it’s for you, that’ll come with time.”

He moved to leave, but I called him back. “C-can I…”

Tyler smiled, taking me by the hand and tugging me with him. “Let’s go get breakfast. We can talk there.”

“Thanks.”

I grabbed my meds on the way out, and we walked silently to the dining hall. My stomach churned the entire way, but Tyler acted as if it were any other day. We both filled our plates with chocolate croissants and blueberry muffins, reluctantly taking a piece of fruit after scolding looks from the caregivers.

“You have an allergy, right?” Tyler asked once we sat down.

“Mhm, bees—wasps too, but bees are worse.”

“And you carry an EpiPen?”

I nodded, mouth full of chocolate, and handed him the pen. Tyler studied it, reading the instructions on the side. “Could you teach me how to use it?”

Maybe he missed the demonstration the other night… I didn’t hesitate in my answer. “Yeah, of course. I have a tester in my bag.”

Tyler returned my pen. “See how easy that was?”