Forever Right Now

I just did.

“Sure, Mom.” I wiped my cheek with the heel of my hand. “I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye, now.”

I let my hand fall in my lap.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” I muttered, but the ache in my heart wouldn’t go away.

A text came in on the phone in my lap from Max.

I need to see you. Work, home, or dance?

Home. Second floor, I typed back, and my heart sank ev

en lower. You’d better not be coming over here to tell me what I think you’re coming over here to tell me.

I’ll tell you when I get there.

Smartass, I tapped, but the ache in my chest deepened.

Twenty minutes later, a soft knock came at the door.

I opened it to Max, and stepped into the hallway, leaving the door ajar.

“The baby’s sleeping,” I said. “And you’re leaving, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “I got the call. My flight leaves in a few hours.”

“I’m so proud of you, Max.”

“Are you?” The softness in his voice and the tears in his eyes shocked me. “I may have been your sponsor, but you’ve also been a friend. It means a lot to me, what you think.”

“Thank you,” I said. “No one’s said anything like that to me in a long time.”

I put my arms around him and held him tight. He held me tighter.

“You’re going to do great,” I said. “Going back to Seattle’s going to be the best thing for you. You can maybe reconcile with your parents, and you’ll definitely meet some hot doctor who is going to love you. How could he not?”

Max kept hugging me. “You’re going to be okay, too. I know it.”

“I don’t. I feel like everyone I care about is moving farther and farther away and I can’t hold on to anyone. My family, Sawyer, you. And I feel that other rock bottom coming. I wish you could be here when it does.”

He pulled away to look at me, concern heavy in his light blue eyes.

“I hate that I’m leaving right now. Maybe I should postpone…”

“Don’t you dare,” I said. “I need to deal with this on my own, I think. Maybe that’s why you got the transfer now. Everything happens for a reason, right?”

“It does,” he said. “And you’re so much stronger than you know. You’ve come far, Darlene. Hold on to that. And call me. Any time.” He gave me a stern look. “And don’t skip any meetings. Not one, or I’ll have to fly back, away from my hot doctor boyfriend.”

I laughed. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Miss you too.”

I hugged him until I heard footfalls on the stairs. Sawyer stood at the end of the hallway. He stared at me in Max’s arms, and his hand resting on his shoulder bag dropped to his side.

I took a step back from Max. “Hi, Sawyer.”