In a Heartbeat (MxM)

Chapter 49

"Vince," I breathed.

"I-I can't do this," he said brokenly, stepping backward before walking briskly through the doors. I bit my bottom lip before looking at Xavier and their mom apologetically before following Vince.

He hadn't gone far, just down the hall leaning against a wall, Vince had his head in his hands, slowly lowering himself to the ground. I approached him, knelt next to him, and took his hands in my own.

"Hey," I breathed. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this." He let out a ragged breath before staring at his hands in front of us. "It's like she doesn't even remember it at all. Our fight."

I frowned. "It was a while ago like Xavier said. Her memory isn't the greatest."

"Still," he insisted. "She shouldn't be this happy to see me. Not after what I told her."

I squeezed his hands before looking at his eyes. "She's still your mother. Whatever you argued about doesn't change that. She'll always love you."

He sighed. "I thought she'd hate me."

"Well, she wouldn't have said that if she did."

"Still," he sputtered. "I don't think I can just pretend it never happened."

I sat against the wall with him, rubbing circles on the back of his hand. "You don't have to pretend. About the fight, or even with me. If you don't want to see her, either, then I can go by myself and introduce myself. I don't want you to feel obligated to do something you don't want. Goddess knows I've been in how many similar situations. But if you still want to see her, I'll wait with you."

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Be so forgiving and patient," he proclaimed. "With me, and with everything else that's happened?"

I smiled softly. "I can't change what happened. Can't change the past. But I can change what comes next. Wherever it leads."

"Ain't it pathetic? Crazy? Sitting here with you. When I took that opportunity away from you. You can't watch your parents grow older. Find out your sibling's mates," he pondered, retracting his hand from mine. "And I'm over here too chicken to even look at her, to talk to someone who's been here the whole time."

"It's okay to be scared," I said, and I'd say it a thousand times till he believed it. Sure, it was upsetting that he was right. I wouldn't be able to see my parents or siblings grow older, but it was pointless to think and mull over what can't be changed.

We sat there for a few minutes in silence, a couple of nurses passing us by without so much as a glance, as Vince took his time to stare at the hospital door, then back at the wall.

He let out a big sigh, before standing up. "I should talk to her."

"If you're ready," I assured, getting off the ground. He hummed, before walking towards the room, as I trailed right behind him. He stopped in the doorway, before extending his arm out to me. He glanced down at my hand, then at his, as if asking a silent question.

I raised my hand, wondering if he really was initiating this. "You sure?"

He blinked before nodding. A breath escaped me, almost in disbelief, before interlacing our fingers, wondering if he'd realized and pull away. We walked in together, Xavier smiling as he sat there with their mother who had dozed off. She was still seated upright, Xavier holding her hand in his as he glanced at our hands with a raised brow. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was amused at the sight, biting his lip trying to hold back a snarky comment, no doubt.