Evangeline

The next time I wake, Cassius is still not here.

“Where is he?” I ask Jude. He’s been here with my dad all day. And Jude’s mom, Aunt Katy, is here, too.

Before Jude can answer, Dad speaks. “If you hadn’t been with him, this would never have happened. You nearly died.”

“If I hadn’t been with him, I would never know what true love is, Dad. And what kind of life is that?”

Dad sighs, not understanding. I don’t hold it against him. Before I met Cash, I never would have believed love at first sight was real.

But it is.

“You’ve spent two days with him, Evangeline.”

“I know, Dad,” I tell him softly. “And in only two days, I’ve known the purest love there is.”

“You believe in love?” Cassius is in the doorway, a police officer standing behind him.

It hurts to take a deep breath, but as soon as Cassius enters the room, it’s like my lungs expand, like my life expands. He makes room for me.

“I believe in us,” I tell him. “I believe in you and me.”

Dad looks pained at my words, and I think it’s because he knows Cassius is here to stay.

But I’m wrong. He isn’t pained at all. He’s accepting. He walks to Cash, wraps his arms around him. Gives him the warmest hug I’ve ever seen my father give.

“Oh, hell, is this like family therapy or some shit?” Jude asks. “If so, then I need to get the hell out of here.”

Aunt Katy gives him a sour look, and I’m not surprised. Jude’s always making choices that push her limits.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Son,” Dad tells Cash. Then, looking behind Cash at the officer, he asks, “Is there a problem here?”

“I got thrown out of the hospital earlier.”

“What happened?” I ask, wanting to reach out my arms out to Cash. Wanting him next to me.

“There was a problem with my brother upstairs.”

“Your brother was here?”

Jude and Cash give one another nods.

“My mom’s here, too.”

“What happened?” my dad asks.

Cash explains what’s going on with his mom.

“I had no idea,” I tell him, my heart reaching out to him.

“She’ll be okay, if I can convince her to go to rehab. But now that Chad and Gina are in police custody, I have more leverage to get Mom the help she needs.”

“Your mom’s lucky to have you, Cash,” Dad tells him.

“On that note,” Jude says, “I’m heading out. Gonna meet Holden tonight. We’ll have a celebratory shot for you Cash. Congratulations man.”

“Congrats for what?” I ask, confused.

Dad smiles; Cash shrugs.

Jude grins. “Your boy here has a Grammy nomination.”

“Really?” I bite my lip, tears in my eyes. “Oh, Cassius, that’s incredible.” I laugh, “And to think, you hated that album.”

“Wait, you hate the album?” Dad asks.

“I think I have a lot to learn, is all. About what making music is all about.”

Dad, Jude, and Aunt Katy leave, giving me kisses and promising to return the next day.

Then it’s just Cassius and me.

“I meant what I said,” I tell him, as he sits on the bed, taking my hand in his. “About loving you.”

He’s quiet, and his jaw is tense, as if he’s scared to speak.

“I almost didn’t come back here for you,” he says. “This morning, after they brought you here, I thought, Fuck, I’m not good enough for this girl. I never will be. I’m always gonna be the boy from East Heights who has scars on his heart and blood on his hands.” He looks at me, his eyes pools of water. He blinks, and the tears spill across his cheeks. “The thought of you, Evangeline, in the cross fire of my past, is too fucking much. And I thought, I can’t fucking put you through that.”

Tears streak my face, too. I squeeze his hand, my chest aching at his pain.

“What changed your mind?” I ask in a whisper.

“I saw Jack Harris today, and he told me something that cut straight to my heart.”

Cassius leans closer to me, kissing my lips softly. I whimper beneath him. My body is wrapped in gauze—stitched together, but whole. I whimper because him being here, with me, is all I want in the entire world.

“He said that, with love, you need to think about what the other person wants. Even if it’s scary or fucking hard.”

“And you know what I want?” I ask him.

“I know what we both want,” he tells me.

“What’s that, Cassius?” I whisper.

“One another,” he tells me. “Even if it’s scary or fucking hard, I can give you that. God knows I can’t offer you much else. But my heart, girl—it’s yours. It’s been yours since the day we met.”

“I love you, Cassius.”

“And I love you, gentle Evangeline.”