Page 14 of Shy Girls Can’t Date Celebrities (Shy Girls Sweet Romances #6)

“I will. I was going to send you a photo, but he kissed my cheek when I took the picture.”

“That sounds so cute! I wanna see.”

“His manager is way strict about information getting out about him. They made me sign an NDA.”

“Intense.”

“Totally. Tell Parker I said hi.”

“Hi, Josie!” Parker’s voice calls through the phone.

“I don’t have you on speaker,” Kylie says, “he’s just way too close to me.”

“Why are you two so adorable? Anyway, I’ll text you later.”

“You’d better. Hope you have a nice night in your fancy hotel suite.”

“I’m sure I will.”

We hang up and I make my way back to Wyatt’s room, my smile only waning when the man in black gives me a once over. I cower from his scrutiny, pointing into the doorway as a nonverbal way of asking if I can enter. He gives me a grunt, which I promptly take as a yes , and I move inside Wyatt’s room.

I edge my way inside, finding him sitting up and craning his neck at the couch.

“Hey,” I whisper.

He snaps his head in my direction, immediately wincing and squinting his eyes closed.

My jaw clenches and I’m careful on my approach. “Are you okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” He grunts, opening his eyes and rubbing the side of his head. “I moved my head too fast. It always hurts when I do that.”

“Do you need me to call someone? Or to get a washcloth?”

Tight-lipped, he shakes his head, sitting back on a mound of pillows. “No, I’m good.” He lets out a soft laugh. “I was worried you were gone.”

I smile, sliding my hand onto his forearm. “It wasn’t a dream. I’m here.”

His smile grows and his chest eases with a swell of relief. “Who knew getting stuck in a hospital could be better than a dream?”

“Maybe we could’ve found a better scenario to meet up than this,” I joke.

He lets out another faint laugh. “I know. My bad.” He nods out at the view. “Must’ve missed the sunset.”

“Yeah, it’s about seven-thirty.”

“Did you get some sleep?”

I nod. “Guess I needed it.”

“Did someone bring dinner? ”

I check the door and then the kitchenette. “Not that I saw.”

He shrugs. “Usually someone brings it around six. They always bring a vegan meal. Did you know I was vegan?”

I grin and press a hand against my chest. “Yes. I’m trying to become vegan too. I eat mostly vegetarian food.”

“That’s awesome. I remember as a kid always feeling grossed out about eating animals. I’m really glad the part of me I can’t remember did something so cool like this.”

“I think it’s awesome too.”

“Are you hungry?”

I pat my stomach, thinking about the protein bar and two finger sandwiches I’ve eaten all day. “I could eat.”

Wyatt hits the nurse buzzer. “Think this is supposed to be just for em-emer-emergencies. But, heck, I don’t have a food button.”

“Oh,” I say, lifting my hand and showing off the elastic band. “I ran into Savanna in the hall. She gave me this for you.”

He sits up, taking the elastic. “Is she still here?”

“No, she said she was clocking out, but she’ll see you in the gym tomorrow.”

“Yeah, she’s working with me so much because I just wanna get outta here.”

“She might hold you back though,” I say teasingly, making him pout. “Because she said you’re her favorite.”

He lets out a sigh. “I thought you were being for real.”

“I get the impression she’s gonna miss you.”

“I have to come back for check ups,” he replies. “Plus, she said I’ll need to keep up the phys-phys-physical therapy for a few more months.”

“I’m sure she wants to spend more time with you.”

He mumbles a laugh giving me a wary look. “Savanna’s like ten years older than me. Why are you acting like she’s putting the moves on me? ”

“Because a lot of women, young and old, have crushes on you.”

Wyatt winces. “I don’t wanna think about that.” He reaches for my hand, and I awkwardly meet his grasp. “And I don’t want you worrying about me and other girls. There’s only one girl’s opinion I care about.”

“Wyatt,” my voice shakes around his name. “I... I.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve never stopped crushing on you.”

He swiftly pulls my hand to his lips, kissing it gently and sending tingles up my arm.

“I’m just scared,” I whisper.

He keeps my hand near his chin. “Because you don’t know what will happen when I leave here?”

I sniff and nod.

“I don’t know either,” he murmurs. “I don’t know where I live, go to school, or if I have any friends. It scares the crap out of me.”

I squeeze his hand, feeling foolish for being scared when his reality is so much more up-ended than mine.

“But... if, if I can... can have you,” he stammers, lowering my hand, “I, I think it’ll be okay.”

My eyes grow glossy and I nod with a small smile. “I want to stick by you.”

He pushes himself off the pillows, leaning himself closer to me near the edge of his bed. “I can’t explain why I shut you out in the past. If I can get you an-an-answers, I will.”

“I’ll try to stop obsessing over it,” I say, shifting my weight. “I just can’t help feeling like I’m not meant to be here.”

“But you want to, don’t you?” he asks urgently. “I sure as heck want you here.”

“All I want is to be around you. Even if it’s just today.”

The sleep disappears from his eyes. “It won’t be just for today.”

“I don’t want you stressing about us falling out of touch. The doctor said it wouldn’t be good for you.”

“But I’ve upset you. I want to fix it.”

“You can’t. You don’t remember.” I rest my hands on his shoulders and sigh. “Besides, you can’t change the past.”

“Evening, Mr. Hayes,” a nurse says, walking into the room. She abruptly clears her throat, eyeing our closeness. “Oh, sorry for the intrusion.”

Wyatt hums a laugh. “It’s okay, Liza. We just wanted dinner.”

I jut my mouth open, looking at the nurse who clearly isn’t Liza. I turn back at Wyatt, who doesn’t seem to register the mistake.

“Dear, Liza has finished her shift,” the nurse says gently. “I’m Ronnie.”

Wyatt recoils, but I hold him close. “Oh.” His frown is hard lined, clearly frustrated at himself. “Sorry.”

Ronnie bats a hand. “Don’t worry about it. This nurses’ uniform has us all melded into one blob. Sometimes, I wish I forgot our names too.”

I cringe. Somehow, I don’t think that is the best thing to say to someone suffering from memory loss. Wyatt’s posture droops under my hands, and I give him an encouraging smile.

“I’ll get the dinner service to come by soon,” Ronnie says, scribbling something onto a chart. “Then I’ll be back to give you a new dose of medication.”

“Thanks,” Wyatt mutters.

Ronnie leaves the room and Wyatt huffs, hanging his head low.

“You just woke up,” I whisper, combing my hand through his soft, sandy hair. “And Liza was here all day. Honest mistake.”

He lifts his head, exhaustion returning to his face. “What happens when I’m not in the clinic bubble? People won’t be so quick to blame the head injury. I’ll just be the dumb guy who can’t remember anything.”

I cup his face with earnestness. “You’re not dumb. ”

“I’ve always been dumb. You know that.”

“ Wyatt ,” I scold. “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

“We only met because I repeated a grade. Only dumb people are held back.”

“You’re more than your learning style. You’re creative and talented.”

“I’m dumb and I’m broken.”

“Stop it. You’re not dumb, you’re not broken. You’re beautiful.” I pause, exhaling hard. “You just need time to recover. People will understand.”

“I don’t remember other people seeing me like you do.” A glossiness covers the red lines creeping through his eyes. “You can’t leave me. I can’t do this without you here.”

With deep purpose, I stare into his eyes. “I’ll never leave you.”