Chapter 70

MILA

"Ward,"I say.

I don't know what else to say.

He then steps into my dorm and shuts the door behind him.

He's smiling. His face is big, bright, his eyes are crystal clear.

"Mila," he says.

"What… what are you doing here?"

"Are you surprised to see me?" Ward asks.

"Of course I am! You're not supposed to be here!"

"Do you have another guy in your bed already?"

I swallow hard and shake my head. "No, Ward. There is nobody in my bed…"

At least not right now.

And anyway… it's not your fucking business…

"You can't be here," I say. I need to slap myself back into reality. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Says who?" Ward asks.

"Says… rehab? You're supposed to be in rehab, Ward. You're supposed to be getting clean."

"Look at me. I am clean." Ward opens his arms and does a spin. "Look. I haven't had a drop to drink since that night. I'm good."

"Ward," I say. "No. You're not… good. It's not that simple."

He smiles. "I figured you'd say that. You're in doctor mode now. Which is so sweet. It shows you care about me. I can't believe I never saw it before. You're really worried about me, Mila."

"Ward, you should be worried about yourself," I say. "Rehab isn't a two second ordeal. There's a process to it. You're probably on the downslide from a detox but it's not forever. It may come in waves, Ward. That's why you need to stay there until they-"

"But here I am," he says, closing in on me. "I broke out of that place. For you."

"You broke out of rehab," I whisper.

"I didn't break anything," he says. "I just found my way out. That's all. It's not like they lock you in. It's more of a voluntary type thing. I walked right up to the front desk and left. They tried to talk me out of it. Of course. They also said I could come back anytime. I guess this thing happens. Oh. They're going to call Willow for sure. They probably have already. I don't know. I don't care. I wanted to be here. To see you."

"Okay, Ward. Can we sit down? Can I get you a drink? Water! I mean, a glass of water… or soda… or…"

Ward moves even closer and touches my arms. "Look at you. Flustered because of me. It's sweet. You're the reason why I went there. And why I'm here now."

"I don't want to be the reason for anything, Ward. Especially this. You can't be here. You need to stay in rehab until they tell you to go home. Even if you feel better. It's okay to feel better, Ward. You should be journaling this. So when you have bad days you can reflect on your journal entries."

"Yeah, they said that to me too. You really are smart, Mila. So smart and so beautiful. All of this right in front of me. I can't believe what I did… taking you for granted the way I did. It's all clear now. Can you believe that?"

"Ward. Let me text Willow. Have her come over. Let's all just hang out for a minute. Sit. Talk. Relax. And then we'll all go for a drive."

"I don't want my sister here. I don't need her here. I have everything I need right in front of me."

"I appreciate that, Ward. I can see it on your face that things are getting better."

"Thanks to you. All thanks to you, Mila. I think I owe you my life. The rest of my life. How does that sound?"

Ward grabs my hands and pulls me closer to him.

"Just you and me," he whispers. "I'll do anything and everything to support you through medical school. And then think about the story we can tell everyone."

My heart is racing. Way too fast.

There's a moment when I feel really dizzy and I think I'm going to pass out.

I collect myself with a deep breath.

"I know this is a lot and it's shocking," Ward says. "I get that you're worried about it. About me. About us. But that's why I love you, Mila. There… I said it…"

"What…?"

Ward steps back from me and smiles. "I love you, Mila. I am in love with you!"

I swear I hear someone standing just outside my door.