Isn't It Bromantic (Bromance Book Club #4) by Lyssa Kay Adams

CHAPTER FIVE





Several hours later, Elena kept a steady beat of nervous chatter all the way home, but Vlad was too shell-shocked to respond with much more than single-word answers.

            The hospital had sent him home with a pair of crutches, some painkillers, and a stern warning to take it easy for the next few days. They gave him nothing, however, to deal with the reality of his rash decision to let Elena stay. What the hell had he been thinking?

            He hadn’t been thinking. That was the problem. He’d simply been reacting. The crushed look on her face when she told Madison she was going back to Chicago had awakened a side of him he’d long thought dead. It was the same side that had convinced him to propose to her. The side that believed his mother when she assured him that Elena would eventually find her way back to him. The side that once read every romance novel he could get his hands on to learn how to make it happen.

            Vlad must have made a noise, because Elena quickly glanced over at him. “What’s wrong? Does it hurt? Do I need to pull over?”

            “No. I’m fine.” Which was the biggest lie he’d ever told. He was anything but fine. The car was too small with her in it, and he was too keenly aware of how desperately he needed a bath. Something he was not going to be able to do alone.

            “Are you hungry?” she asked.

            “Not right now.”

            “I could make dinner when we get home, or we could order something. Do you know if you’re supposed to take your pill with food?”

            “I’m not sure.”

            “I’ll find out. I did a bunch of cleaning yesterday so the house would be ready for you. I mean, it was already really clean. I just made your bed and removed all the rugs in the bathrooms and stuff so you don’t trip on them. I’ll make a grocery list tonight.”

            The comments continued at a rapid-fire pace, too fast for him to respond. But it was clear that she didn’t actually intend for him to contribute to the conversation. This was her way of dealing with the tension in the car. While he stared out the window and grunted, she gave voice to every thought in her head.

            She barely took a breath until she pulled into his driveway. “Do you want me to park in the garage so you can go in that way?”

            “The front is probably easier.”

            She turned the car off and jumped out. Vlad opened his door, but she barked at him to stay put. His crutches were in the back seat, so he waited for her to get them before attempting to get out. Using one crutch for leverage, he swung his braced leg out and then rose slowly on his good leg.

            Elena handed him the other crutch, hovering and biting her lip as he wedged it beneath his armpit.

            “Careful,” Elena said, holding her arms out, presumably in case he toppled over. Which was pointless. If he fell, he’d take them both down.

            “I’ll shut your door,” Elena said.

            Vlad crutched forward a couple of times to give her room. The door slammed behind him, and then Elena raced around, and her frenetic questions started again. “Do you need help? I’ll open the front door. Can you get up the porch steps?”

            “I’m fine, Elena. But yes, it would be helpful if you opened the front door.”

            She took off like a speed skater and bounded up the few steps to his porch. She used her key to unlock and push open the door before turning and racing back to him.

            “So, do I—do you need help?”

            “I can do it.”

            “Right. Okay. I just, I don’t know what to do.”

            Vlad paused in his slow approach to the porch. “Look at me.”

            Her wide eyes blinked up at him. Something shifted in his chest, and he wished the painkillers could numb his heart. “I’ll tell you if I need something, okay? You don’t have to hover.”

            “Okay.” She backed up a step. “Sorry.”

            “Don’t be sorry. I appreciate the help.”

            Her minuscule nod did more damage to his chest cavity. This woman was going to kill him slowly with her presence alone. Was that her goal? Was that why she was doing this? To finish off what remained of his pathetic carcass?