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His senuine and crinkles the corners of his eyes After he takes the cup back to the small tray by the bed, he resumes his seat

His phone dings a minute later, and while he looks at the screen, I take aman I knoould have been attracted to hiish brown hair comes to his shoulders, and I’ve noticed over the last few days, he always pushes it behind his ears His skin is tanned, but it looks natural, not fro outside in the sun, but from a family trait His face is cleanly shaved with just a barely there hint of a shadow, like he shaved this h I haven’t stood beside hi him from my bed, I can tell he’s tall My perception could be off, but I’d put hih the T-shirt, it’s plain to see he’s muscular, not so much in a bulky way, more of a swimmer’s build

I close e of the otherdisoriented, but I reer than Theo, like maybe he works out or is more active

I open ain It always aze to the bathroom door and it reminds me of his earlier question

“I was able to walk to the… bathroom with the… walker”

He doesn’t say anything for several seconds, so I look back at him He has his elbow propped up on the arainst his hand, and his thu his bottom lip The look in his eyes unsettles hter to my chest

“Did you… call theain?” My question comes out pained and stiff

Theo frowns and his hand falls froh his hair He seeitated all of a sudden as he blows out an audible breath

“Yes,” he gruain”

My stomach cramps, and I can’t help the pain I know reflects onto my eyes, and I try to push the my knees I turnon my knees

“Jules,” he calls, but I don’t look at him “I’m sorry”

He’s not as sorry as I feel The last I remember of my fa that people eren’t in the sanored their beliefs There was nothing I would have been able to say to change their h I never felt the sa I not see hih to visitso so heinous So hateful And now that I’e me

It hurts so much that they

abandoned me that it feels like there’s a physical wound in e own over my heart I miss my parents, but I miss Teresa the most She was my best friend for years after Melanie died

Again, I feel lost and alone