For Always (book one)

Chapter 28: Thoughts

Malyn

I woke up to the wonderful smell of my favorite breakfast. When I rolled over to see what time it was, I about died. I jumped up, used the bathroom, and practically ran downstairs.

"Why did you let me sleep so late? It's almost eleven o'clock."

"Well, ya needed to rest. And I'm sure that wonderin' around without your body yesterday was tirin' on ya." She sat a plate stacked high with French toast in front of me. "And Max is havin' some kinda procedure done this mornin', so we couldn't see him till later, anyway."

"What kind of procedure?"

"He didn't elaborate, and I didn't prod."

As I crammed a big bite of food into my mouth, my phone rang. I looked to see who it was and was elated. "LeLe!"

"Hey, stranger. Why haven't you called me? Have I been replaced that fast?"

"Nobody could replace you. I've missed you!"

"Yeah, I can tell," she said sarcastically.

I laughed. "I'm sorry. There's been a lot going on." If she only knew. "And we're down in Savannah with Max. He had a heart attack."

"Oh, no! Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he should be fine." We continued to talk while I finished eating breakfast and made plans for her to come stay with us for a week next month. "I can't wait! We'll have so much fun!" I was truly excited, but a little nervous at the same time.

She fussed at me before we hung up. "When I text you, you better text me back. And if I don't call you, you better call me. You copy?"

"Ten-four." Talking to her had lifted my spirits. We had been inseparable for so long, then I moved and we had barely talked to each other. It's weird how friendships could change so quickly. We talked for a few more minutes before we hung up and I finished eating.

"I'm gonna bring Beau back today."

Grandmama turned to look at me. "Ya need to wait till we can see Max again. If somethin' goes wrong, I want him there."

"But I can't wait any longer. He's been there for several days, already, and I can't stand the thought of him being there another minute."

She leaned across the counter and looked at me over her glasses. "What if ya can't bring him back? Ya have to think about that 'cause it's a possibility. And I don't want ya gettin' your hopes up and feel like you've lost him all over again."

There were so many things I wanted to say back to her, telling her she was wrong, that I was gonna get him back, but I chose to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes, silence is the best option, so I simply nodded, making her think I thought she was right, which I usually did, but not this time.

As I got up to put my plate in the sink, I devised a plan. "I'm gonna go take a bath."

"That sounds good. Maybe it'll help ya to relax some," she said as she raised her eyebrow at me. She could always sense when I was wound up. And, right now, doing something I was just told not to do wound me up pretty good.

As I went upstairs, I felt more nervous with every step I took. I rarely defied Grandmama, and, when I did, I dreaded every minute of it. I didn't want her to be disappointed in me. Or maybe it's because I always thought she'd know, somehow, and I'd get caught. Guess I'd be testing that right now.

I grabbed the radio that was in my room and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I cranked it up so it wouldn't be so quiet and turned the bathwater on, but didn't put the stopper in so the water would run out instead of overflowing. When I thought it had run long enough to fill the tub, I turned it off. I dried out any splashed water that was in the tub and sat down in it, rolling the towel up and putting it behind my head. I knew I had to get comfortable, which this tub was not. I scooted down so I was lying on my back, which felt some better, and propped my feet up on the wall and started to meditate. Once I went through all the steps for separation, I found myself hovering over my body. I would never get used to that feeling.