Dime a Dozen by Gina LaManna

Author:Gina LaManna [LaManna, Gina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LaManna Books
Published: 2024-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Ispent a lot more time than I needed to at the hospital, at least in my mind. I had some light burns on my arms from when I’d thrown them up to shield my face, and those had needed to be dressed. They’d checked me for a concussion and had ruled I might be slightly concussed, but nothing that should have any real lingering effects.

“Watch her closely,” the doctor explained to Gem before discharging me. “If anything changes, bring her in immediately. Nausea, disorientation, vomiting—anything at all.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted for the zillionth time, but Gem was taking in the doctor’s instructions like they were the launch codes to nuclear weapons.

“Of course,” Gem said. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”

“Oh, yes you will,” I muttered under my breath. Gem heard me, so I added, “Tomorrow. I have work to do.”

Gem leveled me with a gaze as if saying, Try me.

I shivered.

“Right,” I said. “We’ll talk about that later.”

While I’d been in the hospital, I’d gotten the rundown from Jack’s buddy Christianson about the details of the horribly botched operation—not that they knew much yet. Christianson also informed me that Jack was in a room down the hall getting his nose checked out.

Once we were alone again, Gem turned a somewhat amused, somewhat mystified expression toward me.

“So, is this what it’s going to be like for the rest of my life?” he asked nonchalantly.

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“You, almost getting murdered. Me, worried about said murdering.”

“Just keeping you on your toes,” I quipped, but it came out flat. “At least you won’t have to worry about getting bored.”

Gem leaned in, kissed me on the forehead. “What if I want boring?”

“I’m not sure I can commit to something like that.”

He gave a soft laugh. “Lucky thing I’m too addicted to you to care.”

I smiled and leaned into him. “You should probably seek help for that.”

Gem gave a soft laugh, his lips still pressed to mine. His hand gently circled around the back of my neck, so gently, as if one wrong move would concuss me all over again. “I’m too far gone for saving.”

“I’m sorry—”

Gem’s kiss swallowed any argument in the making. As he pulled me up from the hospital bed and against his body, my mind wandered—flailed, really, realizing the extent of what he’d said. The rest of our lives.

I loved Gem with all my heart, and while the thought of forever with him had crossed my mind, this time it set a little differently. More concrete, like it was something we were really batting around, and not some distant concept in some alternate reality.

My heart raced. My stomach twisted. I’d made it here before. Not here, exactly, but somewhere close. I’d been in a loving, committed relationship with Jack, and then he’d started asking what came next, and that was when it all fell apart.

My love for Gem was so different than my love for Jack. It was a new level of love, like I hadn’t even realized there were more levels to the video game I’d been playing my whole life.

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