"Hey," Johnny sheepishly smiled from where he stood.

Carter straightened up and stared with a narrow glare, although he kept quiet which Lydia was grateful for. She was at a loss for words as it was and she was sure that the two of them conversing would make it worse.

"What are you doing here?" Lydia almost felt stupid for asking.

"I came as soon as I heard," he set the flowers down on the small table at the bed end and slid his hands into his pockets. "I came with Dallas and Drayton. They're out talking to the nurses and paying for a room upgrade."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. However, she laughed alone and if possible, it made the tension in the room worse. Carter was visibly rigid which was impossible to miss. Johnny seemed to notice and pursed his lips with an awkward smile. Lydia knew that she couldn't avoid the subject. He had just caught them kissing.

"I'm really sorry Johnny," she twiddled her thumbs as his brows pulled together. "I know that I said that it wasn't like that between Carter and I. But it kinda just happened and I should have been honest because I know that we've been— well I wasn't sur— I don't know if you thought we were like— a thing and so I did—"

"Uh Lydia," Johnny interrupted her babbling which was beginning to leave her breathless. "By any chance did you see the last text message that I sent on Friday night."

The subject of her phone reminded her that she hadn't looked at it since Carter picked her up. She didn't even know where it was considering that she wasn't wearing her own clothes, but a hospital gown instead.

"Here," Carter slid the phone out of his pocket and handed it over with a tight smile. "You left it in the car. I almost forgot I had it on me."

"Thanks," she gave him a brief smile before her glance moved to Johnny and then down to the phone in her hand.

She unlocked it with a slight tremble, unsure of what she'd find. But she was quick to open the message thread that had ended on Friday night.

Hey, now I am off for the night. Have fun at the beach concert. You look so good!

Trust me. The girls will be drooling.

😅

"You're gay?!" She dropped the phone into her lap and stared at Johnny who was blushing with a confirming grin. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"It just didn't come up I suppose," he shrugged. "You were going through something and I didn't want to make it about me."

"But we were like— kinda flirting!"

"I wasn't to be honest," he winced with an apologetic smile. "That's how I talk with girlfriends. The only reason I pointed it out in that message was because I thought that you wanted me to get some action with a girl and I thought I should correct you on which team I wanted action from."

"What about Jamie?! The unhinged ex you told me about?"

"Jamie is a guy..."

"But you kinda seemed jealous when I told you about Carter," Lydia noticed how Carter seemed a little bit pleased at that information.

"I was genuinely concerned about you getting hurt again Lydia," he walked forward and sat on the edge of her bed. "I thought we were friends this entire time. Did you think there was something else going on?"

"No," she mumbled, the tip of her finger grazing the IV line that stemmed from her hand in attempt to distract herself from the growing embarrassment. "I just thought that maybe you thought there could be—potentially."

"Well you don't have to worry. I wasn't thinking that," Johnny lightly laughed which only served to ignite a deep heat in the apples of her cheeks. He reached out and grasped her hand. "What I said was true though. You're a stunning girl and I consider you a great friend. And that's obviously how you see me. So it all works out."

The shame in her assumptions started to wear off when she met his sincere smile. Of course, she still felt stupid for thinking that he wanted her when he was just lending her a shoulder to cry on. But he was right, she'd rediscovered a great friendship that had once been special to her and she was glad for his presence in her life.

—

Lydia didn't have to spend long in the hospital. It was an extra day or two and then she was free to leave. She did however, have to remain on bed rest for several weeks.

Netflix was her saving grace because one week in and she was sick of staring at her four walls. Vidia re located to her bed with the help of Liam who lifted her up and got her comfortable. But there was only so much entertainment the old pug could offer when all she did was sleep and snore.

While there were friends and family staying from California, Carter kept his distance and allowed Lydia the time with her loved ones. Plus he was still questionable in her parents eyes. Despite the fact that he'd saved her, he was still the reason that she was at an illegal car event in the first place.

But however much her parents disapproved, Lydia didn't hold him responsible in the slightest. She didn't blame anyone. Although the reason she had been such a mess had tried texting and calling on more than one occasion.

Allison was nothing to her as far as she was concerned. There was no room in her life for backstabbing snakes. Lydia explained the situation to Sadie when she came to visit and told her that she was free to continue her friendship with both of them if that's what she wanted. But the trio was gone.

Without even needing to think it over, Sadie was with Lydia, explaining that she didn't want to be friends with someone that she couldn't trust potential future boyfriends with. Which was rational thinking considering the circumstances.

When the following Monday rolled around, just over a week since the accident, Spencer and Nathan returned to work with the promise that each of them would take turns returning at lunch time to check on her.

It wasn't necessary since Lydia knew that her grandmother was going to be spending the day with her while no one else was around. But Lydia needed the morning free, so she'd called Camilla ahead of time and quietly pleaded with her Grandma to hang back for a few hours because there was something that she needed to do.

When the cars pulled out of the driveway, Lydia waited for a few minutes and then she heard the mustang engine pulling up outside. A small smile made its way on to her lips when Carter appeared at the window with a devious grin.

"Ya know," he grunted as he pulled himself inside. "At least it's winter and you're not stuck in bed during the summer."

"I would die."

Carter grinned as he sauntered over and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached out and gave the pug a pat as he pulled his hood back to reveal his disheveled hair. He was so gorgeous that Lydia felt her chest pull at what she had to do next.

"So you wanted to talk?" Carter questioned with a soft smile.

"Yeah," her lip dropped and she took a deep breath, not realising how hard it would be. "Carter, I don't really know what this thing is between us— but I— I can't do it anymore."

Her heart ached when his face fell, the sweet smile dissipating before her eyes. "How come? I mean, I really like you Lydia—"

"I like you too!" She quickly informed him and reached out to intertwine their fingers. "I do. But I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last week and I realised something.

"I need to focus on me for a little bit. Not to mention that, from how badly I took seeing Allison and Riley together, I'm not ready to give myself to someone else. I think that I'd be using you to move on and you deserve better than that."

She felt a tear slide down her cheek, tasting it on the inside of her lip as she opened her mouth to continue; as hard as it may have been because Carter was staring at her with a sorrowful gaze.

"I've been so worried about relationships and drama and it's consuming me. It almost got me killed!" She cried. "Carter, I don't even know what I want to do after graduation. I have no plans. No drive. I want to focus on school and healing so that when I am ready to move on to a new and real relationship, I'm not harbouring all this bullshit from the last one. I'm going to just be single and focus on myself for the rest of school. I need to do that. As much as I like you, that's what I need."

The silence surrounded them, her words hung between them in the air and Lydia had no idea what he was thinking, but she knew that she was hurting. She knew that the tears that she swiped from her cheeks were more about hurting someone else than herself. But she also knew that it was better to call it quits now, than further down the track.

Sure, the physical aspect of their relationship was new and recent. But they were friends and in order for this separation to work, that would have to end as well. And that was what twisted the knife even further.

"I get it," he murmured after a moment. "I do. I get it. As much as it sucks, I respect you for that. To be honest, it makes me like you more."

Lydia laughed through a sob. She clutched his hand tight and savoured having him close for few moments. She'd miss him. Even if they walked the same halls and took the same classes, things would be different; because she was putting herself first and choosing to let go.

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead before he stood and walked with heavy steps back towards the window. She watched through blurred vision as he turned around and fixed her with a sweet smile.

"You're one hell of a girl Lydia James."

____

❤️