Pieces of Summer (A stand-alone novel)(78)

“We’ll save each other,” I tell her, watching her eyes widen fractionally before a subtle smile graces her lips. “I just need your help to be what she needs.”

She’s nothing like I expected, and I can tell she actually cares about Mika.

“Very well.”

She pulls out a list and hands it to me, as though she was prepared for this.

“Let’s pretend I drew this up for you after you disclosed all the pertinent information concerning your girlfriend’s case.”

I restrain a smile, accepting the list from her. “Any time you do one of the forbidden, you need to mark it,” she goes on.

I look down at the list that actually has boxes for checkmarks out beside it. It’s two pages stapled together, and each page is full.

“Take this homework seriously. If you can’t remember to mark the boxes when you slip up, you won’t be able to handle someone who needs this structure for a healthy life.”

“I’ll take it seriously,” I assure her.

“I have extra copies for you in the folder I’ve assembled. Also, call me twice a week to let me know how this is going.”

“No problem.”

“Go ahead and mark a box beside ‘never commit to a number for any reason’ and one for ‘never set a schedule’ as well.”

Sighing, I immediately check off the boxes, realizing this isn’t going to be quite as easy as I initially thought. I’m already failing a test that I just started.

“It’s all about the wording, Mr. James,” she continues, watching me with a guarded expression. “A mind like your girlfriend’s demands the right wording.”

“I’ll call you when I can,” I tell her, and her lips twitch.

“Better. Now live this way for a while.”

“How long?” I grimace when she starts to speak. “Never mind. Sorry. No dates or guesses at timeframes. Marking the boxes off now.”

Her lips twitch and she nods.

“It’ll take time. It’s a long process. Think marathon—not a race.”

“I’m a fast learner, Doc. And I’m ready to have Mika back. I think life has f*cked us both over for long enough. Don’t you?”

I can tell she’s still trying to decide what she thinks about me, and probably worried about Mika.

“What are your thoughts on this?” she asks me. “I mean about this situation.”

“My thoughts?” My lips tense as I try to process my thoughts. They’re everywhere. “My thoughts are that I don’t give a f*ck about anything but getting Mika back. And I’m ready to prove it.”

She clears her throat like I caught her off guard, but she resumes going over the list without missing more than a few beats.

“Mi—I mean, your girlfriend has to be careful with powerful emotions. It’s fine until it’s not fine. It’s been holding her back from progressing into a relationship state. Emotions run higher when a lot of affection or physical contact is involved, creating a larger margin for irrationality,” she explains calmly. “Hence the reason her reaction was so extreme this past time.”

“I didn’t know the rules last time. This time I do. I’m not going in blind. It’s worth it.”

She studies me for a long minute, but finally starts going over other important key points.

“Some exceptions are made,” she says. “Such as the fifteen minutes of drive time. Since Mika doesn’t have an issue riding for longer, someone else is allowed to drive longer than that time.”

There are other exceptions, and I listen with rapt attention. I soak it all in, ready to do whatever it takes. I also have a few ideas of my own to help Mika.

Fuck the marathon. This is a sprint.





Chapter 46


MIKA



2 months later…



“How’s Aidan?” I ask Whit as I move my laptop away to devote my full attention to her.

We have one rule: She never calls. I do all the calling.

“He’s… Mika, are you sure he’s going to be okay? He’s angry. He’s drunk most of the time. I’m worried about him. It’s like… I don’t know. He knows your safe, since Dr. Stein keeps him updated, but he doesn’t act like he believes it.”

Guilt hits me like it has for two solid months, but I take a deep, calming breath. The end of summer came and went, and I’ve worked hard to not think about it. I always hated autumn.

“Aidan deserves a better life than he can have around a defective sister,” I state without any emotion.

I’ve managed to get my emotions under control better than ever. That’s what isolation does for you. You cry for three weeks straight until you’re too numb to feel anything. Some things have been broken—because I’m still just as crazy today as I was yesterday—but I haven’t hurt myself anymore.

I also have a panic button just in case. It directly calls for an ambulane. That was a firm request by Dr. Stein, who I chat with via Skype at random times, on random days.

“You’re not defective, Mika,” Whit says softly. “I couldn’t have survived what you’ve been through. I can’t… Just hearing about it makes me want to curl into a corner and cry for you. Are you sure I can’t come out there and see you?”