Page 77 of Threads That Bind Us
“That’s a joke only an old person would make, you know that?” Before I even have a chance to argue, she shoots up from her chair. “Oh my god, they’re here.”
“Your scores are in?” I ask, but she’s not listening to me.
“What the hell? I need a password to access my scores? I have apassword?” She starts frantically scrolling through her phone, and I stand up from the table.
“I’ll get Gwen,” I say, patting her on the shoulder as I pass.
“Okay, yeah, ask if she knows what my password is,” she mumbles, moving back and forth between her screens like the scores are going to disappear if she doesn't find her password quick enough.
I open the door and lean against the frame, watching Gwen stare at her dark phone. It’s dark, and the light from the windows is the only thing illuminating her. She reminds me of how she looked in that alley, almost a year ago now.
Put my money where my mouth is. Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.
“Hey, Ana’s scores are in,” I say. I wish I could touch her. Pull her into my arms and kiss the space under the corner of her jaw, where I can feel her pulse against my lips.
“Okay,” she whispers, her arms still tight around her. “That was Ana’s oncologist. She wants us to come in next week to discuss the results.”
“Is she okay?” I ask as I step out into the night with her and shut the door, glancing behind me to make sure Ana’s still distracted by finding her password. It feels like time has stopped. Ana’s got an entire future ahead of her, and it rests on this moment in the darkness.
When Gwen turns to me, tears are cutting paths down her cheeks, but the relief is so clear in her features that the clock starts moving again.
“She said it’s good news. She said not to worry.”
I don’t even think before I step forward and wrap my arms around her. She doesn’t hold me, but she doesn’t push me away either. She just lets herself cry, the falling tears seeming to ease the tension in her body until she’s leaning into me, letting me hold her together.
“It’s over, Gwen,” I say into her hair, trying to give her everything without demanding a thing in return. My support, my heart. “You did it.Shedid it.”
She nods against me, dragging in harsh breaths like the relief is pulling her underwater.
“I know,” she chokes out, her voice cracking and tight. “I’m just…”
She can’t seem to finish, and I don’t need her to explain. Ana’s not my sister or my kid, but even I’m overwhelmed. I rub my palm in circles on her back, listening to her calm her breathing. I feel her wipe away her tears with her sleeve before she pushes against my chest.
It’s excruciating, letting her go, knowing she wants me to.But I broke her trust, and now I know how to earn it back. To show her I meant every word in Trani.
“Her scores are in?” Gwen asks, hiccuping on the last word.
She wipes the tears from her cheeks and the mascara from under her eyes. My whole body itches to help, to comfort her, but I slip my hands into my pockets instead.
“She can’t find her password to the website, but she got the email,” I say, and Gwen laughs and she rolls her eyes.
“That’s because she had them email me the password so she wouldn’t lose it,” she mutters, swiping up on her phone and searching through her email.
When she looks back up at me, she’s built that beautiful, strong wall around herself again, and I don’t think Ana will even know she’s been crying.
“Thank you,” she says as she walks past me toward the house. “For being there for both of us.”
It takes me a few moments, listening to Gwen read the email to her sister, before I can steady myself the way she did and walk back into our home.
Chapter 27
Gwen
“All right, that’s enough.”
Ana’s voice is a shock to my system. I’ve been sitting in silence organizing the closet for what must be hours. All socks have been turned right side out and paired. Charlie’s shirts are organized by sleeve length and color. All of my pants have been put on those fancy pants-specific hangers with the clips. It’s been a productive day.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder as I pull all my t-shirts out of a drawer and start refolding them.