Zac was sitting up by the time I got around to his side, and I didn’t hesitate to put my arms around the parts of him I could reach, hugging him too—not very tight but just enough.
Those long arms that I knew had to be so strong went around my back instantly.
I wasn’t going to lie to myself; I almost sighed. I really had missed this guy, despite everything. But there was a reason why amputees survived and thrived; you learned how to live without.
I pulled away and smiled a little as I told the handsome man looking at me, “I have to head home. You’ll be fine getting back?”
“You’re goin’ back right now?” the man I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade asked, startling me. Yet again.
I nodded.
“You can’t spend the night?”
He was on a freaking roll with the surprises, huh?
It was nice to know I could cherish the friendship we’d had for the rest of my life and keep being proud of it. My friend was a good man to the people he loved. Being famous and wealthy were just the cherry topping on the sundae. That knowledge lifted me up and kept me there, just far enough away to not be sad.
Things happened for a reason.
“No, I’m sorry. I have to get back home. I’ll get Boogie to get your bag from my car though so you can stay up here,” I told him quickly before going up to my toes and kissing him on the cheek, just like I’d done to his grandfather. Then I gave him another small smile as my eyes took in his face one last time.
Tenderness and nostalgia filled my stomach for a second as I took in those suntanned features that were aging so gracefully, and I couldn’t help myself. I really couldn’t as I touched his thigh with my fingertips for a second and busted out the nickname I hadn’t used in forever and ever. “Take care of yourself, Snack Pack. I’m super proud of you.”
A slight, slow smile took over the lower half of Zac’s face as his gaze locked on to mine, but it was Paw-Paw who chuckled at what I’d called him.
Before he’d been “Big Texas,” he’d been “Zac the Snack Pack.”
Right.
Time to go.
I took a step back and waved at the three of them. “Do whatever the doctor tells you, Paw-Paw Travis. Bye!”
“Bye, Bianca,” three different voices called out. Or it might have just been two of them. I wasn’t going to wonder about that too much. Zac had seemed genuinely happy to see me at first, and that was good enough.
I was out of there, opening the door and closing it behind me, and then instantly stopping.
Because directly across from Paw-Paw’s room were what seemed like ten people.
And they were all watching the door like hawks.
Yep, that lady had recognized Zac.
I decided to tell Boogie to warn them about the crowd outside the door—though that might work in their favor. Maybe they would be nicer to Paw-Paw if they knew who his grandson was. They should be nice to him because he was wonderful, but whatever worked.
I found my cousin in the waiting room beside his girlfriend. They were both hunched over typing on their phones. “Boogie Baggins, I’m leaving.”
My cousin got up with a yawn. His white button-up was wrinkled, and his pants were even worse; the only thing still put-together about him were his shiny black shoes, equally shiny belt, and the fancy-schmancy expensive watch he’d bought himself for his thirtieth birthday. Draped across the free chair beside the one he’d been sitting in were his jacket and tie.
Behind him, his girlfriend stayed in her seat.
“You don’t want to spend the night?” he asked, giving me another hug when he was close.
I shook my head against his shoulder for maybe the millionth time in my life. “I’m filming tomorrow,” I explained when we let each other go. “I’ll come visit when I have another weekend off if you’re not busy.”
I wanted to side-eye his girlfriend but didn’t. I had promised myself not to be an asshole. Mostly though, I didn’t do it because it would only hurt Boog if he saw it.
My cousin-brother sighed but nodded. He’d been letting his facial hair grow in, and it looked nice. “You going to be fine driving back?”
“Oh yeah. I’m not tired yet; it’ll be okay.”
He kept on frowning, so I nudged his fancy red-soled shoe with the tip of my sneaker, careful not to scuff it. I’d teased him for like ten minutes the first time I’d snooped through his closet and seen all of his expensive shoes. It had been back when the what are those thing had been going on, and he’d been rolling.
“Go down to the lot with me though. Zac left his suitcase in my trunk.”
From behind him, his girlfriend said, proving she’d been listening, “I’ll wait here.”
Boogie glanced over his shoulder. “You sure, babe?”
“Yeah, baby,” his girlfriend of the last two-ish years replied.
I knew it was mean and didn’t care, but thank God. The less time she was around, the better.
My cousin slung his arm over my shoulder after saying something back. I wiggled my fingers at her briefly, getting a tight smile and a nod back, and then we took off. I kicked him in the back of his leg, and he kicked me back. I poked him, and he poked me back. When we got into the elevator, he turned to me and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been holding in a fart for the last hour and a half, and my stomach fucking hurts,” I told him, pressing my palms down on my lower stomach. “I’ve been trying not to think about it.”
Boogie burst out laughing, slapping a hand over his face. “What is wrong with you? Wait until you get in your car to do it.”
“I’m trying,” I groaned. “But it hurts.”
I really was trying. I’d overdone it eating both sausages and not just one.
My cousin was still laughing and still had a hand over his face as he said, “Try harder.”
“You used to fart on me and around me all the time, you hypocrite. It’s a totally natural bodily function. There’d be something wrong with me if I didn’t need to pass gas, Boog. It’s just as natural as a burp. As a period. But it comes out of your butt instead.”
My prude cousin closed his eyes, shook his head like he always did, and changed the subject. I loved him. He really was the best. He never wanted to talk about periods or bodily functions or fluid—unlike my sister who would give me an in-depth report on her period and any unusual bowel movements she might have—but I knew if I needed a tampon, he’d go and buy me ten boxes for every flow. He just wouldn’t make eye contact with me afterward. “Changing the subject. Thank you for going to find him. He said someone had his phone and he’d forgotten all about it.”
For one second, I thought about the nice, pretty blonde who had known where his bedroom was. Then I stopped thinking about it. Good for him. At least she’d been nice and not like the last girlfriend I’d had the unfortunate luck to meet. Because fuck that girl still, even ten years later.
“Yeah, there were a bunch of people over at his house when I showed up,” I said. “I let myself in and had to walk around to find him. Awkward.”
He snorted. “Did you surprise the hell out of him?”
I shrugged against his side just as the doors opened and an older woman stepped inside the elevator too. “Yeah, he didn’t recognize me. I told him my name, but it didn’t click until I used yours.”