Page 140 of Corpse Roads
With a tight nod, Enzo follows in his best friend’s steps. I’m left with the chatterbox staring at his battered Converse as he deliberates.
“Are you coming up?”
“M-Me?” Theo stutters. “Ah, I don’t think so.”
“Come on, man. You’re here, aren’t you?”
“I’m not sure why.”
“Because… this is your home.”
“I should go.” Theo glosses over my words. “Kade and Hudson will call to check in soon. Tell Harlow… tell her…” He lets out a heavy sigh. “Forget it.”
I place a hand on his slumped shoulder. The ghost that haunts this house is so often unspoken, existing only in the empty space she left behind. No one feels that more acutely than Theo.
“You’re allowed to want something more,” I offer plainly. “No matter the voice inside your head screaming that you shouldn’t. Alyssa would want you to find some happiness.”
“What if… we don’t deserve it?” he worries.
“We don’t.” I backtrack, gesturing upstairs. “But regardless, we’re all she’s got. I won’t abandon her like the world did.”
Shoving several bottles of water into his empty hands, I grab his flannel shirt and drag him upstairs. In Harlow’s room, the awaiting puppy pile is laughable.
Enzo is curled up in the crater I left behind, a tree-like arm holding Harlow against his chest. He’s... actually snoring.
“Is he asleep?” I laugh quietly.
Hunter’s splayed out in the armchair next to the bed, his bare feet propped up on the mattress. He’s staring at the IV line.
“Passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.”
Placing the bottled water down, I search for a space to squeeze into. Hunter growls as I dislodge his feet and crawl in on Harlow’s other side, so she’s sandwiched between me and Enzo.
“You could’ve taken the floor,” Hunter grumbles.
“And miss out on cuddles? No way.”
“If the bed breaks, you’re fixing it.”
“Whatever you say.”
Theo hasn’t moved from the doorway, watching us all with palpable terror, like he’s faced with shark-infested waters rather than a sleepover. He tentatively inches into the room.
Hunter’s mouth is hanging open slightly, until I nudge him so he looks away. We don’t want to scare Theo off now. This is the closest he’s been to us in years.
“We should get a TV in here,” I observe, snuggling against Harlow’s chest.
Hunter’s eyes are already shut. “Are you planning to do this often, Leigh?”
“Aren’t you?”
Clicking the light off, Theo takes a fortifying breath before curling up at the end of the bed. It’s big enough that he has space to sleep, pulling his legs up to his chest so he’s tucked into a tight ball.
“Maybe a bigger bed too,” Hunter adds sleepily.
I nearly die when Theo chimes in.
“Agreed.”