Crossing Paths (27 page)

“Alright, Care. Do you want me to go with you?” I ask.

“No, thanks.”

Liam and I are left sitting on the bench as people rush back and forth past us.
It’s funny how life around you can seem to move so quickly while you feel stuck in the moment.
When I glance over at Liam, I see a rare emotion. He looks overwhelmed. He’s rubbing his forehead with his thumb and middle finger, pulling inward from his temples to the middle of his forehead and back.

“Liam, why are you going to Seattle?” I ask, curious about his intentions.

“I don’t know.” He stands, staring down at his feet, and he kicks the corner of the bench. “I guess I didn’t want to her to go away and decide that whatever drama we had yesterday was too much to deal with. I want to be there for her.”

“So, you’re saying that you like her?” I laugh and punch Liam in the leg.

“Yeah, yeah. Shut your hole. I don’t know why you didn’t think about introducing us earlier.” He gives me his goofiest smile.

“You should be glad I waited to let you two meet. Two years ago, you would have broken her heart and missed out on the love of your life.”

“Or I would have settled down sooner.”

“Did you just admit that Caroline is the love of your life?”

“And what if I did?” he asks confidently.

“I’m going to go check on Caroline.”
This conversation is getting crazy. Now, my brother is in love with my best friend?

I walk into the restroom and find Caroline leaning over the sink.

“Hey, are you doing okay?” I ask, laying my hand on her shoulder.

She looks up with tear stains on her cheeks. “I don’t know, June. God, I don’t know.” She sobs, folding herself into me.

“Oh, Care, I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re here for you.”

“June, I need to tell you something. I just can’t have you mad at me when we get there.”

“Don’t worry about any of that now. If you and Liam want to be together, then I say go for it. I think it’s great. Really, I do.”

“No, it’s more than that.”

“Well, whatever it is, it can wait. All that matters is getting you to Seattle, so you can see your brother.”

Caroline pulls away, wets a paper towel, and cleans up her makeup. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I don’t want her to worry about me.

We board the plane. Caroline sits in the window seat, Liam slides in beside her, and I take the aisle seat. Not only is the aisle seat normally my least favorite, it also gives me yet another reminder of the flight with Cohen.

Soon, we are taking off, and then we’re in the air. I close my eyes, trying to fall asleep, as I attempt to keep my mind off of the fact that I’m thousands of miles in the air. Unfortunately, once I’m asleep, my dreams bring memories of Cohen. I wake up with about thirty minutes left in the flight. I am starving, and I missed the in-flight meal.

When I look toward the window, Caroline looks sad, Liam looks worried, and I feel helpless. Thankfully, we’re almost there.

Saturday

We step off the plane into the familiar hustle of the Sea-Tac Airport. Finding our way through the crowds to the baggage claim is a chore by itself. People are everywhere—pulling along their luggage with their children, standing in the middle of the walkways as they talk on their cell phones, and making a beeline for the restrooms.

I follow closely behind Liam. Ever since last night, the world around me has faded to a harsh blur. The faces of the people around me don’t quite come into focus. I’m staring at Liam’s hand, his fingers entangled with mine, as I’m wondering why he’s here.
Why does he care?
I didn’t ask him to come with me. In fact, I was pretty sure he would run the other direction after I yelled at him last night.

June and Liam got a little sleep on the plane, but there was no way I could find rest. Instead, I thought back to my fight with Liam last night, and I decided he was probably telling the truth. After all, I’ve never seen him take a drink of alcohol. I was upset because he was out at a bar when he said he was busy, but he could be just as upset with me since I was out at a bar as well.
I should probably drop it.
After all, our disagreement will likely pale in comparison to the issues that will crop up while we're here in Washington.

As we reach the baggage claim area, Liam motions to the chairs. “Sit down, and we’ll wait for the luggage.” I place my purse in the seat beside me and watch as he walks toward the carousel with June.

I take out my phone and send a quick message to my mom, letting her know we made it. It isn’t long before my phone rings. I don’t feel like talking, but I pick up anyway.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Caroline, I am so glad you made it safely. June is with you, right?”

“Yes, and Liam.”

“Liam?”

“Her brother came, too.”

“Oh…well, okay.”

“I’ll explain later, Mom. Just tell me, do we need to come straight to the hospital?”

“You should go home first and drop off your things. Let June and Liam settle in, and then you can bring over John’s car.”

“How is he doing?” I’m careful not to say my brother’s name in case June is within earshot.

“He’s doing better, but he’s pretty banged up. The doctor thinks he’s out of the woods now, but he’s being watched closely in the ICU.”

“Alright. I’ll call you when we leave the house.”

When we hang up, my heart feels a little lighter, knowing that my brother will probably be okay. I won’t have complete relief though until I see him myself. If those television shows about crazy medical dramas have taught me anything, it’s that doctors try to give you the best outlook until the time comes when they have to tell the truth. For all I know, my mom could be saying he’s fine when he might actually be unconscious with tubes coming out of every part of his body.

As I watch Liam and June load our luggage onto a big cart, I realize how lame I’m being. I stand as they walk toward me. I step to the back of the cart and take hold of the shiny bar. June raises her eyebrows to Liam as if I’m not standing right next to them. We’re already close to the exit, but at least it will look like I’m trying to help. As we near the exit doors, Liam places his hand on the cart, stopping us in front of a rental car counter.

“We can just take a cab to the house and then use my stepdad’s car,” I say, trying to save him a little money. I never even thought about asking him how much the airline tickets cost.

“It’s okay. The company discount I get is pretty awesome.”

“Yeah, it’s called ‘I get tickets and car rentals for free.’” June rolls her eyes.

“Free?”

“Well, not quite free, but it doesn’t cost very much. Did you forget I work for the airlines? The flights weren’t too full, so we flew standby, and I can use some points I have for a rental car. No worries.”

“Okay, but you should let me pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it. It really isn’t a big deal,” he says, giving me a small hug before turning to talk to the rental car attendant.

The drive to the house is quiet. The car came with GPS, so I don’t have to give Liam directions. I’m sure June and Liam have no clue what to say. I should tell them that my brother is doing okay, but I don’t feel like talking right now. I’m too busy trying to figure out what I’m going to tell my parents when they ask why Liam came with us.

Liam and I haven’t had the chance to talk about what happened last night, and with June here, I’m not sure when we’ll have any time alone. It should be the last thing on my mind, but I know my parents will ask. Maybe I’ll just tell them he tagged along to see some sights in Seattle. I know they won’t buy it, but it’ll give me some time to talk with him before I tell them we’re dating.

Next on my list of concerns is June finding out about my brother. I picture the decor of each room in our house. Thankfully, my mom isn’t one of those people who has a picture of each member of the family from various significant life events in every room. She has photo albums, but I can’t think of any framed pictures in the main areas.

The only places I’ll have to keep June away from are my mom’s office and bedroom since she keeps a few family pictures in those rooms. That shouldn’t be a problem though because my mom normally keeps her office locked, and there’s no reason for June to go into my mom’s bedroom.

There might be a few pictures in the basement, too. When my brother would come to visit, he would always claim the basement as his man cave. Last time I checked, it still held some of Cohen’s memorabilia and photos. I’ll have Liam stay on the couch in the basement, and when I show him the way, maybe I can move around a few pictures.

My fingers begin to feel sore, and I realize I’ve been running the tips of them over and over again across the black material of the car door. I clasp my hands together and set them in my lap, trying to keep myself from fidgeting constantly.

Then, it hits me.
What about Julie?
I didn’t even ask my mom about Julie. I couldn’t be more insensitive. I wonder if she’s going to be okay
.
I know her parents must be sad and worried. If Cohen is awake, I can’t imagine how he must feel. I hope he’s been able to see her. I just need to get to the hospital, so I can get the whole story.

As we pull into the driveway, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I feel Liam’s hand rest on my thigh, and I’m surprised when his touch calms me. Opening my eyes, I meet his gaze and give him a half smile. It’s all I can give right now.

We all get out of the car. Liam stretches his arms over his head, and for the first time, I catch a glimpse of his perfectly sculpted abs. When he sees me staring, he gives me a goofy grin, which sends me into a fit of laughter. June comes around the back of the car with her luggage in tow. After we all make our way into the house, I take them on a quick tour of the main level.

“June, the guest room is over here.”

“Alright, I’m going to go change clothes real quick,” June states, taking her luggage to the guest room.

“Liam, if you don’t mind the couch, you can stay in the basement down there,” I say pointing to the stairs.

“I don’t want to impose on your parents. Maybe I should just get a hotel room,” Liam states with a questioning glance.

“My mom would never have that. You have to stay here.”

“You won’t hear me argue with that. I’d rather be close to you.”

When he turns toward the stairs leading to the basement, I stare after him. I can feel the empty space he left behind, and a slight ache fills me.
I have got to put these emotions on hold and take care of business.

We discard our belongings in our respective rooms and then meet back in the kitchen. It’s getting late, so we decide to head to the hospital before visiting hours are over.