Page 69 of All of You

I shrug. “I’ve been in your room.”

I take four short strides across the room and sit on the bed next to her. My arms wrap around her middle, and I pull her close.

“And I like you in my room.”

Her arms squeeze back, and she rests her head on my chest. “Okay. And Langdon?” She asks.

I pull back and look down at her. “Yeah?”

“I’m so sorry about Olivia.”

I swallow a lump in my throat and nod my thanks because I can’t find my words.

Mom pokes her head in my room and lets me know it’s time to let Delia sleep. She basically ushers me out of my own room. Delia grins at me as I turn to say good night.

“See you in the morning,” she says.

I’m glad she thinks of me as a comforting place to land on a difficult day.

Thirty Five

Delia

Iwake in Langdon’s bed. It smells like him and I never want to get out of it. But I have to go home today. No school. I’m suspended. For a day. It seems slightly ridiculous. Why bother with suspension at all. It’d be far worse to have to go in anyway and face everyone the day after.

Although I won’t lie, I’d love to see what Hailie looks like. I stretch in place trying to wake myself up. The doorknob turns and excitement courses through me. Expecting to see Langdon, I check my breath, but the anticipation was a letdown.

It’s Anderson.

He leaps onto the bed and jumps. “You’re going to be late!”

I laugh out a groan. “Man, you’re perky in the morning.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “I’m up. I’m up.”

I toss the blankets off me and plant my feet on the floor. Anderson nods his approval and exits the room as fast as he entered. I’m not sure I could handle siblings. It’s an entirely different world.Siblings.

My mind drifts to Olivia. I run my fingers over Langdon’s desk and chair, stopping to look at a picture of him and a dark-haired young girl. Must be her. They’re cracking up at something, arms wrapped around each other. A pang of sorrow hits me smack between my breasts. And then another. My father is dead too. I will never get to know him. I will never know his laugh or what his voice sounds like. I don’t get to know if our mannerisms are the same or if I would have hated him. Anger pummels me.

“Whatcha doing?” Langdon asks from the doorway.

I spin around, startled, biting back tears, and shake my head. “Just snooping I guess.”

Langdon utters a lazy laugh as he approaches. “Find anything concerning?”

My mood improves. “Nothing, you are utterly boring.”

His grin dissolves my anger. He shrugs. “I’m good at hiding things. Oldest kid and all that.”

There’s a medal on a shelf behind him for diving. I point to it. “So you’ll be at the pool with me all season huh?”

“Mom really didn’t let anything slide, did she?” he asks, glancing at the medal.

“I would have figured it out when you showed up at practice.”

“Yeah. But the surprise would have been fun to see.” He wraps his arms around me and pulls me flush with his chest. “Morning. Sleep ok?” he asks into the top of my head. I meltagainst him and wrap my arms around his waist.

“Like a rock.”

His chest heaves as he laughs. “I don’t get that saying.”