“Why are they always so late?” Eden fidgeted in the hard plastic seat. “She was supposed to see me forty-five minutes ago.”

“It’s a doctor. That’s how they are.”

Eden sagged back against her chair and checked her phone for messages. None.

Darak must think I’m such a jerk, she thought, scraping her fingernail against the pad of her thumb. Distancing herself from him seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that she’d done it, her muscles twitched with regret. She liked Darak—really liked him. She’d never felt this way about anyone—ever—and she’d all but told him she was bored with him. I’m busy. Let’s go see a matinee. She cringed.

Her pulse leaped as her phone pinged. She whipped it out, and gripping it with both hands, she studied the screen. Naj.

Damn. Not that she didn’t love her friend, but…yeah. Darak had never texted her before, but it didn’t stop her from checking every forty-five seconds.

Eden tapped her foot. Independence sucked. If she could crawl into Darak’s shirt and live there, she’d do it. Zip-tying their wrists together wasn’t altogether repugnant, either.

Push Darak away? Was she crazy?

When she got home today, she was going to call him and fix this. There was nothing wrong with admitting her feelings, and really, why not just tell her parents she had a boyfriend? It wasn’t like they could stop her; she wasn’t doing anything wrong. They’d just have to get used to it. Seriously, their every thought and action was focused on Eden, and if it wasn’t healthy for her, it definitely couldn’t be good for them.

Did Darak want her, though? She fingered the blunt ends of her hair. What if she said she was totally in love with him and he ran like a wildebeest? Her stomach squeezed. He was everything she never knew she wanted. He matched her in his need to experience the unknown. With him she didn’t need to dig deep into explanations for how she felt or why she wanted to do something, because he seemed to just get it. In fact, Darak seemed to make it his personal mission to fulfill her every wish, no matter how dangerous. She’d never had that, even before, when she…well, when she was originally healthy.

You didn’t throw a guy like that away. Seeing his face this morning…even now the memory of it ate at her throat. He could be sitting in his meeting right now thinking, Forget her. She’s so not worth it.

Sighing, Eden checked the time on her phone. How lame. If this appointment was anything like the past ones, she’d be in with the doctor for at least half an hour, and she wasn’t even in there yet.

“Why do you keep looking at your phone? It’s not going to make the time go any faster.”

“I’m bored.” Whining was a surefire way to deflect her mother’s interest.

“It’ll only be a few more minutes.”

“Mom, look. I was thinking. You stayed with me all through the cancer, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

“You’re my daughter.”

“I know but…the thing is, you and dad have to get your lives back. I do too. From now on, I want to go in to see Dr. Marie by myself.”

“No. I absolutely forbid it.” Twin frown lines sliced between her mother’s eyes, a bad sign.

“I’m not trying to shut you out. Worrying all the time like you do isn’t going to help. Take me to my appointments, yes, and give me support, but let me deal with the doctors. I’m an adult. I should be doing this. I should be doing all kinds of other things too, you know, behind your back.” She smiled at the joke, but when her mother didn’t, it faded.

“You want to hide this?”

“No! I mean, if I was a normal girl… I guess what I’m saying is, it’s time for me to be a normal girl. I know it’s there—I’m not stupid—but I don’t want to think about freakin’ cancer all the time.”

“That’s why I’m here. To worry for you.”

“You look like a skeleton, Mom.”

“Nice!”

Eden sighed in disgust. “Every time you look at me, you see me hooked up to chemo. You know you do. Either that, or in a casket. I feel like I can’t do anything or go anywhere because I’ll worry you to death. I’m tired of being your albatross. Let me have this, Mom. Please. I’m not moving out.” Yet. “I’m just asking you to focus on yourself, and let me do some things on my own.”

“Who is paying your medical bills?”

“You.” Well, Dad really.

“Who carried you for nine months, taught you how to use a fork, and later nursed you for two years through hell and back?”

“You and Dad.”

“That’s right. You’re our child. We never resented anything, not for one second.”

That was the problem: to them, she’d always be a child. Eden felt defeated. “I’m going to go pee.”

Her mother made a moue of disgust at the vulgar term.

“Can I go by myself, or do you want to come supervise?”

“That’s enough!”

Eden stalked off to the bathroom. By the time she was done washing her hands, she was weak with self-recrimination. She hadn’t handled her mother well at all. After drying her hands off, she used the towel to open the door and tossed it in the wastebasket.

When she got back, the white line around her mom’s lips made her pause.

“Who is Darak?”

Oh no! She’d left her cell on her seat! Horror tingled down her scalp and froze her muscles. How could she explain this?

Oh, hell with it. Why should she? Eden squared her shoulders with a bravado she didn’t feel. “What are you doing?”

“I want to know why some boy found it hard to leave you this morning and can’t wait to taste you again.”

Eden’s butt totally puckered. “Stop reading my texts!”

“Are you sleeping with him?”

“None of your business!” Eden snatched the phone out of her grip, then hopped out of grabbing distance.

“How long has this been going on?”

“Eden Waller,” an aide announced from across the room.

Eden’s let out the breath she’d been holding. Thank you, Jesus!

“That’s me.” She charged across the room, her mother trailing behind her.

“I don’t want my mother with me back here. Can I do that?”

“HIPAA rules require your authorization, so yes.”

“You can’t!”

“Yes, I can, Mom.”

Eden pushed past her and followed the attendant.

“We didn’t let you have the apartment over the garage so you could have boys stay over.” The last of her mother’s words muffled as the door closed.

“You sure you don’t want her with you?”

Absolutely. “It’s kind of a bad moment. I’d rather not.”

“No matter what, she’d still want to support you,” the woman said as she guided her into an exam room.

Eden twisted her lips into a grimace. “That’s my point. Everything she’s gone through—me getting sick ruined her career. She stopped going to her groups so she lost all her writer friends, and now she, like, lives for me. Her and my dad both. I can’t do that anymore, you know? I need some distance.”

The aide motioned to a chair. “Have a seat and I’ll get your blood pressure.”

Once alone, Eden fished her phone out of her back pocket and read Darak’s text.

Blanching, she buried her face in her hands before tapping out a hasty reply.

TSHHTF! My mother saw this!

Oh. Bad! I should have waited like we said. What is TSHHTF?

Aaaaaaagh! Well, it’s out now, and I’m not taking it back. “The Shit Has Hit The Fan.”

Ah, okay. You sure about that?

Eden let out a hysterical giggle. I don’t think I’ll be able to look Mom in the eye for a month, lol.

Well I definitely won’t. Not now.

She debated. Even if she came off as clingy, he was leaving and she didn’t want him to go without her saying something. She tapped out the words carefully. I miss you. I don’t want to go to a movie today.

Thank GOD!!!!

!!!! Is that okay? I’m not being too clingy?

You could be strapped to my back and it wouldn’t be enough.

I love you. Don’t leave. You’re too good to get stuck in a lab.

* * *

Was he typing something long, or was he waiting for her to say something else? Take me with you. I didn’t mean that. Maybe you could travel the world and document all the good things you find.

They’d hunt me down.

They’d be too proud. We’d all watch your YouTube vids and hit ‘like’ on every one.

That’s my girl.

Kicking her feet, Eden squealed. His girl. But that could mean anything. Aiming for a light tone, Eden answered, I’m in your corner, babe.

I looked in the corner. You’re not there.

She dimpled. You are silly.

A brief knock sounded on the door, and the doctor stepped in. Eden had enough time to read that Darak was off to his meeting before stuffing her phone in her back pocket.