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“You said you were back on it. Why did you go off of it?”
“Without insurance, it’s over two grand. And that’s just one of them.”
“I would have paid for it,” she said immediately.
“What?”
“I have enough money saved up.”
“But I don’t know if I could pay you back.”
“Oh no, I’m out a little bit of money but my friend gets to feel okay? That’ssoterrible.”
“Still, it’s a lot to ask of someone. Would you ever ask that of me?”
Lily blew out a breath. “Okay, good point. But you’d do it.”
“Yes.”
“And I would do the same for you.”
“Youalsohave a good point.”
“Why haven’t you told anyone?”
“It’s hard for me to talk about the things I don’t like about my life. I wanna be happy-go-lucky all the time, but I can’t be. Sometimes, I’m holed up in bed with pain so bad I can’t move. It’s annoying for both me and the people around me.”
“But you can’t do anything about it. And I know for a fact that I care about you. I can help.”
I smiled at her. “I’m getting it. I promise. It’s weird to actually have friends.”
“I know,” she replied. “But we’re gonna make it work. Plus, your fake husband seems to help you.”
“I don’t know if it’s fake anymore.”
“Oh . . . interesting.”
“You don’t sound shocked.”
“I’m not. You kept saying you weren’t gonna fall for him, but it honestly sounded like you were trying to convince yourself more than you were trying to convince me.”
I rubbed my neck. “You caught that, huh?”
“Yep. Though, I still don’t know the details, and you better start spilling. And then prepare to tell Riley again once she’s done with that line.”
“It’sMarch,”Lily panted as we walked back to the house. “How is it so hot?”
“This is insulting,” I said. “Where did this heat come from?”
She shook her head. When we’d left my house, there was still a cool breeze wafting through the air that made the trek there easy. We’d stayed at the café until later in the afternoon while catching up, which allowed the sun to bake the roads.
“Note to self,” Lily said, “we drive next time, even if it feels nice when we leave.”
“I’m on strict bed rest,” I replied. “So I’m gonna get some water before I give myself another headache.”
“You better!” she said, and with a wave, she disappeared into her own house. I walked into mine and got the biggest glass I could find. I was chugging it when the front door opened.
Levi’s eyes found me immediately.