Page 73 of Becoming Us

You’re here for him. To make him feel safe. You don’t get to fall apart right now, Noah. You’re going to shove those feelings into the back corner of your brain and keep them there until he doesn’t need you anymore. You can do this. You’ve been masking and hiding your whole fucking life. Maybe it was all just training for this.

I was going to show up. I was going to help him, make things better.

And if it destroyed me in the process?

Who the hell cared?

This. Wasn’t. About. Me.

I walked straight to his office and knocked. The door was already slightly open, but he still called out for me to come in.

His shoulders relaxed when he saw me.

I stepped in. “I’m back.” The words felt heavier than they should have.

He smiled—tired, a little defeated—but there was hope there too.

The burn behind my eyes threatened to rise again.

Push it in.

My hands curled into fists at my sides. “I have some questions for you.”

“Come sit. You can ask whatever you want.”

I could help. Iwouldhelp.

Everything was going to be okay.

The door clicked softly shut behind me.

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

AFTER

The city stretched out below me, bathed in the fading afternoon light. Atty had stopped by after work and finally met Steve. They were still in the gym, talking about my test results and performance.

Meanwhile, I stood on the terrace, staring at the view, forcing myself to endure this conversation.

“Have you been taking your medication?”

I resisted the urge to sigh. “Yeah, Mom. Everything’s fine, I promise.”

“That’s good, muñeco.”

My jaw tightened at the endearment. Of course she wanted something. Nothing new. Even if she asked nicely now, it still stung.

“Yeah,” I breathed out. The sun was dipping lower, city lights flickering on one by one, scattered like falling glitter.

“Are things okay with Atty?”

“Mh-hm.”

“And school?”

“Classes are hard. Fast-paced. But it’s going okay.”