why he hadn’t taken the steps to do so, but now she had a better understanding. The problem was, how did she get him to see that needing help didn’t make him weak, but the refusal to voice his need did ?
Before she could ask that out loud, the phone in her sweat pants pocket began to sing “Titanium,” and without a moment of hesitation, she answered, knowing the ringtone signaled a call from the one person she’d been waiting to hear from for what felt like eternity.
“Fitz?”
There was a pause. “Z-Zuly?” His voice sounded garbled. Within a second it changed to something entirely different...almost perky. “ Hi! I’ve...I’ve been trying to call...call you but this stupid phone.” Hiccup. “It wouldn’t work right.”
Kamara was gesturing wildly to her but Zuly waved her off.
Her eyes closed. “Fitz, sweetheart, have you been drinking?”
“Just a leetle, teenie, tiny, bit.” He snorted. “Teenie is a funny word.”
Zuly bit the inside of her cheek. “Where are you, baby?”
“Uhh...” There was movement—the rustle of sheets if she was guessing right. “I dunno.” He sighed. “I...I think it’s a hotel.” A pause. “A really big hotel...like...one of the nice ones. The...the manager is really...really nice. He uh...he gave me a free stay when I told him I used to be a SEAL.” Fitz chuckled but it was humorless. “He didn’t care that I’m damaged.”
She opened her eyes to find Kamara setting a piece of paper and a pen on the table. “Which one, Fitz?”
His exhale was hard. “I shouldn’t tell you...” he said softly. “I should...should leave you alone. But you told me. You said...you said to call when I need you.” Fitz’s tone went low, sad. “I need you, Z. I need you bad.”
Zuly swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know you do. But you have to tell me which hotel it is so I can come find you, okay?”
“Okay,” Fitz whispered. “If I tell you...you’ll come, right? You...you won’t be angry with me? Like Riley?”
The despondency in his voice broke her heart.
“No, baby. I won’t be angry. Not like Riley. I promise.”
***
“Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuly!”
Zuly’s eyes crossed as he swung the heavy wood open to his suite, leaning against the jamb with a crooked grin, his face flushed, eyes glassy.
“Hiya, pretty lady.”
“Handle with care, Z or you both could end up hurt.”
Zuly kept Kamara’s warning in mind. Fitz had been given a suite at a five-star hotel just inside White Sulphur Springs, hours away from home. She stopped, wondering if she should’ve called someone else to come here, wondering what might or might not happen once she got on the other side of the door.
She knew Fitz would never hurt her, at least not intentionally, but what if she was wrong? What if something happened here that couldn’t be taken back?
“C’mere.” He reached out and tugged her across the threshold, his movements sloppy and slow as he managed to get her into his arms. “You smell good.”
She wrapped her own arms around him just as tightly. “And you smell like a distillery.”
Pulling back, he frowned down at her. “That’s not...not nice.”
Zuly sighed, patted his back. “I’m sorry.”
Swaying back and forth, he started humming a little. “Don’t be mad, okay?”
Biting the inside of her cheek, she nodded. “Okay.”
Fitz let her go and wobbled over to the sitting area where the coffee table was lined with empty bottles. He reached for some of them. “I wanted to clean up before you got here.” His hands missed every attempt to pick up the trash. “But nothing works like its s’posed to right now.” Standing straight, he waved his hands in front of his face, flexing his fingers back and forth like a toddler discovering something new.
Obviously frustrated, he let them drop to his sides, his shoulders slumping. “I fucked up.”
She leaned against the wall and silently watched him flop down on one of the
Before she could ask that out loud, the phone in her sweat pants pocket began to sing “Titanium,” and without a moment of hesitation, she answered, knowing the ringtone signaled a call from the one person she’d been waiting to hear from for what felt like eternity.
“Fitz?”
There was a pause. “Z-Zuly?” His voice sounded garbled. Within a second it changed to something entirely different...almost perky. “ Hi! I’ve...I’ve been trying to call...call you but this stupid phone.” Hiccup. “It wouldn’t work right.”
Kamara was gesturing wildly to her but Zuly waved her off.
Her eyes closed. “Fitz, sweetheart, have you been drinking?”
“Just a leetle, teenie, tiny, bit.” He snorted. “Teenie is a funny word.”
Zuly bit the inside of her cheek. “Where are you, baby?”
“Uhh...” There was movement—the rustle of sheets if she was guessing right. “I dunno.” He sighed. “I...I think it’s a hotel.” A pause. “A really big hotel...like...one of the nice ones. The...the manager is really...really nice. He uh...he gave me a free stay when I told him I used to be a SEAL.” Fitz chuckled but it was humorless. “He didn’t care that I’m damaged.”
She opened her eyes to find Kamara setting a piece of paper and a pen on the table. “Which one, Fitz?”
His exhale was hard. “I shouldn’t tell you...” he said softly. “I should...should leave you alone. But you told me. You said...you said to call when I need you.” Fitz’s tone went low, sad. “I need you, Z. I need you bad.”
Zuly swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know you do. But you have to tell me which hotel it is so I can come find you, okay?”
“Okay,” Fitz whispered. “If I tell you...you’ll come, right? You...you won’t be angry with me? Like Riley?”
The despondency in his voice broke her heart.
“No, baby. I won’t be angry. Not like Riley. I promise.”
***
“Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuly!”
Zuly’s eyes crossed as he swung the heavy wood open to his suite, leaning against the jamb with a crooked grin, his face flushed, eyes glassy.
“Hiya, pretty lady.”
“Handle with care, Z or you both could end up hurt.”
Zuly kept Kamara’s warning in mind. Fitz had been given a suite at a five-star hotel just inside White Sulphur Springs, hours away from home. She stopped, wondering if she should’ve called someone else to come here, wondering what might or might not happen once she got on the other side of the door.
She knew Fitz would never hurt her, at least not intentionally, but what if she was wrong? What if something happened here that couldn’t be taken back?
“C’mere.” He reached out and tugged her across the threshold, his movements sloppy and slow as he managed to get her into his arms. “You smell good.”
She wrapped her own arms around him just as tightly. “And you smell like a distillery.”
Pulling back, he frowned down at her. “That’s not...not nice.”
Zuly sighed, patted his back. “I’m sorry.”
Swaying back and forth, he started humming a little. “Don’t be mad, okay?”
Biting the inside of her cheek, she nodded. “Okay.”
Fitz let her go and wobbled over to the sitting area where the coffee table was lined with empty bottles. He reached for some of them. “I wanted to clean up before you got here.” His hands missed every attempt to pick up the trash. “But nothing works like its s’posed to right now.” Standing straight, he waved his hands in front of his face, flexing his fingers back and forth like a toddler discovering something new.
Obviously frustrated, he let them drop to his sides, his shoulders slumping. “I fucked up.”
She leaned against the wall and silently watched him flop down on one of the
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