So yeah, she was a great catch. Which was why he’d befriended her rather than dated her, because the latter was a surefire way to sever her from his life.
As he looked at her he tried to remember the last person he’d told about his mom. Or anything about his life growing up, for that matter. It had been several years…maybe even more than a decade. He’d learned quickly to leave that stuff off the table, especially with women.
But Claire was different, wasn’t she? She was his friend, and a good one at that. They had an understanding. She didn’t expect anything more from him, so what harm would it do to give her some? She wouldn’t take it any sort of way, and he felt strangely calm at the prospect of telling her.
That was a first.
He unlocked his phone again and sent her a text.
Graham: I didn’t tell my parents the details of the accident. I made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal.
She read the message and frowned. “Why?”
I didn’t want to worry them. My mom has multiple sclerosis and now that she’s older, she has flares pretty often. She struggles with being sick and my dad does his best to take care of her on his own. They don’t need the added burden.
He watched her face as she read. She looked over at him when she finished. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.” Did he detect a hint of accusation in her tone? “MS is a terrible disease.”
He nodded his agreement, careful to keep his expression even. Telling her was one thing; letting her see how much it tore him up inside was another.
“So what did you tell them?”
That I hurt my leg and I need to stay off it for a little while, but my roommate is a hot nurse/babysitter. Now my mother wants to meet you.
Claire laughed. “Taking care of you takes a hell of a lot more patience than when I babysat triplets as a teenager.”
Damn. And here I thought you were enjoying my silent company.
Something flickered in her expression. Her gaze lingered on the phone screen for a beat, then she lifted her eyes to his. In her eyes and in her tone, sincerity shone through. “More than you know, Graham. Even though you piss me off, I’m happy you’re still here to sit beside me.”
Her chin trembled, the movement so slight he would have missed it if he hadn’t been watching her so closely. Without thinking, he reached over and took her hand.
She let him, and his brain immediately screamed, What are you doing? And just as quickly he justified his reaction. Easy. It just felt like the right thing to do. Comforting or some shit.
From her place at the foot of the bed, Gertrude whined her disapproval. Graham tipped the left side of his lips up, which was as much of a smile as he could muster without pain.
Claire ignored her.
Graham ran his free hand through his hair and wrinkled his nose. He grabbed his phone again and tapped out a text with one hand, for once thankful for predictive text.
Graham: I hate to ask another favor, but…
She narrowed her eyes, but didn’t pull her hand away. “If this has to do with sex, I swear…”
He shook his head.
Would you help me wash my hair? I’ve been able to do a decent job keeping clean otherwise, but that part’s not easy with my current situation.
Her eyes flicked to his head and back down. “Sure. Now?”
It felt pretty greasy, and he’d sit here and think about it if they waited. He nodded.
“Okay.” She thought for a second. “Let’s try the kitchen. The sink’s bigger.”
She pulled away from him and stood, and he took his time shifting his legs off the bed. By the time he made it to the kitchen she’d pulled a wooden chair over, the back up against the cabinet.
He made his way to her and sat, propping up his crutches before he tilted his head back to test the height.
“This is actually pretty perfect. Sit back up for a second and I’ll go get shampoo and towels.”
Gertrude trotted in after Claire left. She hated getting wet and usually steered clear of anything she knew sprayed water, so she sat a few feet away and cocked her head, watching.
Claire returned and laid a folded towel along the counter where his neck would rest, draped one across his cast and handed him another one.
“Don’t get mad at me if you get wet. I’ve never done this before.”
He glanced down, contemplating, then carefully pulled his shirt over his head. He figured it would be easier to just dry his skin if she got water everywhere and hadn’t really thought anything of it, but when he leaned back to settle in and caught Claire’s expression, his body immediately tightened with awareness.