I dreamt about my first night at Kyle’s house after I had moved in.

I was seventeen, and my mom was gone. I hadn’t ever been there, not really, but now she was really gone, and I smashed my fist through the wall. I knew in my memory that Kyle hadn’t said anything, just patched up my hand and told me we’d go to the hardware store in the morning. But in the dream, things were foggier, and when I punched through the drywall, my fist was covered in blood I knew wasn’t my own.

Dream Kyle cried, shoulders shaking as he sobbed, the sounds like nails down the chalkboard as goosebumps rose on my skin. I pounded against my skull, desperate to apologize and wrap my arms around my uncle, but Dream Jade didn’t. I just turned my back and walked out the front door, leaving my crying uncle alone in the too dim house.

I also dreamt about Grayson. That dream went better. It was the first time I had gone to Grayson’s hotel room all over again, but this time there was no burned dinner or managers calling to distract us. It was just Grayson and me and lips that couldn’t stop whispering praises and admissions of love, hands that wandered and reached farther than had ever actually happened.

My third dream wasn’t so much a dream as it was a feeling. I was shrouded in darkness, limbs held down by a deep heaviness I couldn’t name, while sorrow was pumped into the room, heady in its tangibility. I pulled against my restraints while tears streamed down my cheeks but it was useless. I was trapped and in agony, and that was all there was.

Once, I thought I saw Alana’s face hovering over me, her lips parted in a scream. But then I blinked and it was gone.

The third dream lasted much longer than the others; I cried myself hoarse and spent the rest of it calling out for help. Sometimes, Grayson’s name fell from my lips, but even in my dream state, I was glad he wasn’t there to feel this pain.

I dreamt these three scenes over and over again, the faintest image of a car sticking to the peripheral of my thoughts as I slept.

When I finally woke, it was to silence the incessant beeping. I swatted my hand around, looking for my phone, before trying to roll over to reach the nightstand.

The movement caused a sharp pain to radiate from my side, so strong my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I almost passed out. It was horrible, this ache, and I felt like I’d been hit by a semi.

“Not quite,” someone spoke aloud, laughing. I jumped, wincing when my ribs protested. I blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the harsh overhead light. Two women, one wearing a long white lab coat and the other in nurse’s scrubs, stood over me. The nurse stepped up to me to check my pulse. “Just a regular old Volvo.”

“A Volvo?” my voice was scratchy from disuse, and the woman straightened, handing me a cup with a straw in it. I drank the water greedily and realized I must have spoken out loud earlier.

“Yes, ma’am.” the nurse smiled, scribbling something on the chart before turning to give me her attention. “You were admitted early yesterday, Ms. Hunter. Seems you had a bit of a run-in with a car.”

I nodded. I didn’t really remember anything hitting me, but I definitely felt like I’d had a run-in with a car. “You should see the other guy.”

The doctor laughed. “Oh, a sense of humor. No wonder you have such a fan club.”

I cocked my head. The movement made me a little dizzy, and I glanced down, trying to take in the injuries I’d apparently received. My ribs were wrapped, along with one wrist, and my leg was in a cast.

“Jesus,” I muttered. The doctor shot me a wry grin.

“Extensive injuries, ma’am.”

“Jade,” I corrected.

The doctor nodded. “Jade,” she appeased. “You’ve broken two ribs, along with your wrist. Your leg and foot are sprained, hence the cast.” She raised an eyebrow. “You should know you’re a very lucky lady. These injuries are nowhere near as bad as they could be.”

I hated to think about what they could be if I were already broken in so many places. “Thanks.”

She nodded, writing another scribble onto the clipboard before placing it at the foot of my bed. “Now, you have quite an army of visitors. Would you like me to let your sister in?”

My head jerked up, and I nodded eagerly, even as the motion made my head swim. Alana. She must have meant Alana.

“Alright, Jade. I’ll go get them for you.”

“Thank you!” I called after the doctor, making a mental note to ask her what my name was when she came back. I couldn’t remember if she’d told me or not.

It didn’t take long—I had only taken one more sip of water—before Alana threw the door open and raced into the room. She moved in a blur, hesitating only when she skidded to the edge of the bed, arms poised to pounce but stopping as if she’d only just remembered how injured I was.

“Hi, Alana.”

“You idiot!” she seethed, reaching over and smacking my good arm. My body vibrated a bit from the touch, but I swallowed the wince down, having anticipated it. “How dare you get hit by a car?”

I reminded myself that she’d only get angrier if I laughed. “It was hardly my fault.”

“Hardly your fault,” she repeated under her breath, snorting. “Sure! Running into an alley road without checking both ways in the middle of a rainstorm really sounds like a freak accident.”

I flushed. Okay, well, maybe that was what had happened. The crash was still too fuzzy for me to say exactly.

Alana dropped to the chair by the bed, cradling her head in her hands. “I was so scared.”

My face fell, guilt clouding me. “I’m sorry, Alana.”

She nodded, sniffling. “It’s okay. I just—this week, I swear. I’m going to lock Todd and the boys up next year.”

I groaned. God, the anniversary was only a few days away. I had really put Alana through the wringer.

“I get two hugs from you once you’re healed, as long as I want. No complaining,” she warned me sternly. I lifted my good hand to give her a scout’s honor.

We were silent for a minute, and it scratched at me. I struggled to think of a conversation that wouldn’t send my cousin into a heap of tears.

“So, I hear I missed a day. Anything good happen?”

She told me about getting the phone call and closing up the diner, her and Madeline rushing to the hospital. Madeline had been there that morning, too, only leaving to check on the boys when Alana refused to leave. She was supposedly on her way back now.

The biggest surprise, though, wasn’t Madeline demanding to get into the room without being family; it was Grayson.

“You called him?” I gasped, horrified. Alana frowned.

“Of course, I did! You asked me to!”

I froze, then frowned. “No, I didn’t.”

Alana shook her head, her expression firm. “You definitely did. I mean, you were a little out of it on the meds, but you explicitly asked me to call him. Plus, you said his name like a thousand times as you slept.”

My face burned. “No,” I denied. Alana laughed.

This was awful. Alana continued her story, telling me that Grayson had rushed to the hospital with a half dozen reporters chasing after him, calling out all sorts of questions as he basically threatened to sue the hospital to see me.

“What happened?” I couldn’t believe that he would do such a thing. Even before I realized I was just a fling to him, he had always been mild-tempered, if not absurdly accommodating.

Alana smiled. “I took pity on him, and we worked it out so he could wait outside the room.”

My eyes flickered with dismay toward the door. Alana’s smile widened. “Want me to get him?”

“No!” I all but yelled, my heart lurching at the idea. Unfortunately, Alana heard, her eyebrows raising as the machine beeped at my accelerated pulse. “I—we—it’s complicated.”

Alana jerked her head forward as if to say “so.” I elaborated, telling her quietly what had occurred at the Ritz the day before. Alana sucked in a deep breath when I told her what Grayson had said, so similar to my own reaction, and we sat quietly for a minute, reeling at this revelation.

“Hmm,” Alana said after a minute, eyes narrowed. “Jade, listen, I—”

“I don’t give a goddamn shit!”

The yelling came from the hallway but so close to the door that Alana and I froze, eyebrows raised in identically comical expressions of surprise as we listened to Grayson curse out whoever was in his way.

“You’re going to get the hell out of my way right now before I make you.” His voice was dangerous, a growl that promised something to whomever he was talking to. I had always admired the genuineness and honesty that Grayson personified; I was absolutely positive that he would make good on this promise if he didn’t get what he wanted. I looked at Alana to see her eyes wide and lips pressed together, both of us waiting with bated breath.

A body thumped against the door hard, and then the door swung opened, a slightly wild-eyed Grayson pushed his way through.

“You’re awake,” he breathed, freezing at the door. I nodded mutely. His eyes were bloodshot, the blue dull compared to the deep circles underneath his eyes. His face was scruffier than I’d ever seen it before, his clothes and hair disheveled. He locked eyes with me, his mouth parting and a soft, shaking breath exhaled through his lips. “You’re okay.”

Where before he seemed frozen, he now raced to my side as if he had to make up for that lost time. He didn’t pay Alana any mind, merely pressing close against her to get to me. One hand smoothed the hair on my head while his other hand traced my jaw and neck, trailing down my collarbone until his hand rested, palm down, over my chest. His eyes fluttered closed as he felt my pulse beneath his own.

I looked at Alana from over Grayson’s arm. She just shrugged.

“I’ll leave you two alone for a minute,” she said, standing. He didn’t even glance at her, though his eyes did pop open and made quick work of assessing all of my injuries. “Just a minute. I’ll go call Madeline.”

I nodded to her but didn’t reply, too enthralled and yet confused by the devotion pouring out of his expression.

I swallowed. “Sit down, Grayson.”

He fell into the chair immediately, though he stretched so that he could keep his hands on my face and chest. It was a weird pose, awkward, but I couldn’t make myself mind.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, I’m so goddamn glad.”

My heart stuttered. We both felt it a second before we heard it. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes snapped to mine. They were swimming with moisture. “What the hell are you talking about? You were hit by a car.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes; I thought it would hurt too much in my current condition. “Yeah, I know that much. I mean, why did you come?”

He dropped his hands as if they’d been burned. His lips quivered for a moment before he collected himself, hardening his expression. “Would you rather I not have?”

I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Guess that depends.”

“On what?” he fired back.

“I heard what you said to Sharon.”

“To who?” He shook his head in confusion, running both hands through his hair, tugging at the ends. It was an honest mess. I preferred it, but couldn’t let it distract me. “What the hell, Jade?”

“That reporter girl, Sharon. I heard what you said about—us. Me. About press tours.”

He shook his head again, his irritation spilling onto his expression. “I don’t know what the hell you’re—” realization dawned on his face, and he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tell me you left through that goddamn alley because of what I said to Sharon.”

I shifted my eyes away, pressing my lips together. I could feel tears threatening.

He groaned, long and low, nearly a keening sound that made me wonder if he had somehow been the one to hurt himself. “It was just—she’s tabloid, Jade. She’s the tabloid; it was just—shit. It was just shit I said to keep this,” he swept his hand between us, “separate. How can you not see that? How can you not see that I’m always just trying to keep you separate?”

I glared at him. “How can you not see that I don’t want to be separate?”

He groaned again, though this time it was clearly out of frustration. His muscles tightened, broad shoulders tense. “But I need you separate. Not because I don’t want you to be a part of all that but because I don’t want that to be a part of you. Of us. This is mine, Jade.” He took hold of my good hand, kissed it, and brought it up to his heart.

The door creaked open. Chris popped his head in, frowning and sliding into the room quietly. He surprised me by being here at all, much less coming into my room, but Grayson hadn’t relaxed or looked away. When I caught his gaze again, he continued speaking like his manager hadn’t interrupted them.

“You—you said yesterday you went there for me.”

I swallowed. “Yes,” I whispered.

Grayson tilted his chin up, but his eyes gave away the fear. My heart accelerated at the sight, the machine letting everyone in the room see how much he affected me. “I came here for you.”

He was offering me something, something that I had already tried to refuse. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to refuse it twice.

“I said those things to the reporter,” he repeated. “But I didn’t do it to hurt you. And—and if you want, I’ll tell every reporter the truth, I’ll tell them everything about you. Or I’ll quit, and I’ll never talk to another reporter again. I—you matter, diner girl. You’re enough for me, no matter what else we have to decide.”

I considered the resolve I’d had in the diner those months ago when I pushed Grayson as far away from me as I could. I thought about my determination to do whatever it took to help him.

I decided, swiftly, that I had been an idiot. My heart thundered on the monitor, and Grayson’s attention flickered to the screen, watching, before turning back to me.

I slowly grinned. “I guess you’ll do.”

His answering smile was radiant enough to warm my soul. Dare I hope? “You mean it?”

“Entirely.” He jumped from the chair, about to throw his arms around me before he realized he wasn’t going to be able to do that. Instead, he settled for resting his hand on the top of my head, running his fingers through my hair, beaming.

Chris cleared his throat, and we both jumped a little, having forgotten he was there. I hissed at the feeling in my ribs when I jolted, and both men turned to me, concerned before I waved them off.

“So,” Chris said, raising one eyebrow as he appraised us. I braced myself, expecting the worst. “How long will you be staying here, then?”

Wait.

“You’re not going to try and break us up again?” I blurted before I could stop myself. My face burned when Chris turned to me, smirking.

“Wasn’t going to,” Chris said, folding his arms. “Why? Would you prefer that?” he asked with a smarmy grin.

Grayson laughed, running his hand up and down my arm in reassurance. “Shut up, Chris.”

“Make me, Sparling.”

I watched them apprehensively. Chris seemed to be okay with this but…

“Really?” I just didn’t believe him. I had been so sure a few months ago. His reasoning was solid enough that even I had bought it.

Chris rolled his eyes, but it lacked the venom he usually put behind it. “Really,” he confirmed. “I want what’s best for Grayson. I always have.”

Grayson smiled broadly. “You were just wrong about what that was, is all.”

“Yeah, for like, the first time ever,” Chris grumbled. “Besides. I’ve just spent three months with him moping around.” Chris shook his head. I looked at Grayson from the corner of my eye, disbelieving. Surely, he’d been fine. “You should have seen him after he tried to call you and some other guy answered.”

Grayson’s face blushed red, shrugging. I barked out a quick laugh, which was short-lived when my ribs protested. “That,” I stifled my laughter, my aching ribs barely taking the humor out of the situation, “was the worst date I’d ever been on.”

He dropped his hand to my shoulder, squeezing it. “Good.”

I wasn’t sure what was going to come. I didn’t know what had been happening in Grayson’s life the last few months, how far he was in this movie if our confessions meant that he’d relocate or if we’d just try our hand at long distance. I didn’t even really know how the diner was going to stay afloat while I recovered from these ridiculous injuries.

But I did know that I loved Grayson Sparling very much and that he seemed to love me too. I knew that we were going to make it work, no matter what needed adjusting. He had fit so smoothly into my life. I was just going to have to have faith that I’d fit into his as well.

All I really knew was that this was enough for the both of us.

Chris cleared his throat again, getting our attention. “How long are you staying here, then, Grayson?”

Grayson shrugged, smiling down at me. His eyes were bright, and the small freckles on his nose were illuminated from the window across the room, reminding me that I still needed to trace the constellations that they made.

He dropped a kiss to my forehead and then smiled a little wider as he looked into my eyes. “Indefinitely.”