I chuckle softly and stroke her hair comfortingly. “You didn’t. You talked a lot about how handsome I am.”
Abby groans again into her hands and raises her head with a chagrined smile. “I’m sorry for the inconveniences I’m sure I caused. I’m never going near a bottle ever again that’s for sure.”
I laugh at her antics. “As strange as this may sound, I like you drunk. You’re... Exceptional.”
“What do you mean exceptional?” Abby asks, narrowing her face suspiciously on me.
“Exceptionally cute,” I say, laughing harder when she playfully hits my arm. I sober up after a few seconds and take her hand in mine. I hold her gaze, hoping she can read the sincerity in my eyes. “I’m sorry I took that step about your mom behind your back. I just really wanted to help without making you feel uncomfortable.”
Abby shakes her head. She shifts our hands so our palms are pressed together, her fingers tightening reassuringly around mine. “No, Carlos,” she says, her voice clogged with emotion. “Thank you. Thank you very much.”
“I’m just glad I can help,” I say genuinely, staring off into the distance, thinking about my past and how I’ve tried to do some good to offset that. “Helping those in need is the only thing that gives me a purpose and a tiny sense of belonging in society. It doesn’t in any way make up for the bad things that I’ve done, but it helps to know that I’m even remotely giving hope to others – it’s more of a chance than I ever had.”
“You know...” Abby says, snapping me out of my thoughts. “When you tune inward like this, I wonder what’s going on in that head of yours.”
I let my mouth pull slowly into a wicked smirk. I lean forward until my lips brush her ear lobe. A slight shiver racks through her body at the contact. “Do you really want to know?” I whisper into her ear, deliberately teasing her skin with my breath.
Abby suddenly jumps off the bed, her face, and ears stained with an adorable blush. “I... I need to go.”
“Isn’t it a little too late for that?” I tease. “We even slept together after you confessed your love to me.”
Abby’s eyes go wide. “Anyone who heard you say that would think something really happened,” she says with an annoyed scoff, wrapping her arms protectively around her middle.
“How about we make something happen?” I asked, wiggling my brows.
“You’re impossible,” Abby says, shaking her head. But I catch the hint of a smile on her face just before she turns and walks out of my room.
I haven’t been this happy in a long time, I think to myself as I watch her perfect bubble butt sway provocatively in her nightdress.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Abby
Sitting here with my sister, I realize again how much I’ve relied on her over the years and how I’ve changed since we last saw each other. I missed her a lot, though. It’s why I’d suggested we sit in the hospital’s cafeteria. My excuse was so that Mom could rest properly, but it’s more than that. And for the past fifteen minutes, I haven’t found a way to broach the main reason for my impromptu visit.
“I’m happy Mom is doing so well,” I say, cradling the can of coke that she got me from the hospital’s vending machine. “I’m glad I’m able to come and see her today.”
Beth nods and sits back in her chair with a contented sigh. “Isn’t it nice out?” she asks in a mild tone. “Now that things are a little better for us, I can appreciate the scenery like this one every once in a while.”
I look outside the cafeteria's glass walls. I take in the picturesque scenery of the setting sun on the horizon and feel a sense of calm descend over my heart. It’s indeed beautiful.
I look back at Beth. She indeed looks more relaxed, with her shiny brown hair spilling down her shoulders like mine.
“Life and its ironies,” I say with a small sigh. “A hospital is mostly a place of pain and death, but finding such calming scenery suggests life and hope. It’s uplifting, I guess.”
She turns toward me with a small smile, her pretty green eyes holding the most serene expression. “For us, it was one turbulent ride after the other, wasn’t it?”
“And I was mostly shielded from the tempest, thanks to you and Mom,” I say, hoping she will see the extent of my gratitude.
“Believe it or not, you had it the hardest,” Beth says with an ironic chuckle. “And to us, you are this beautiful scenery. Our hope.”
I lean forward to take her hands in mine. I wait until she raises her eyes to mine to say, “Thanks, B. For everything.”
“Oh, enough about the mushy stuff,” Beth says with a small laugh. But, despite her attempt at humor, I can see her blinking back tears. “How’s work?”