Savannah gave me a bemused smile. “You’re in for a treat then. My dad detoxed off alcohol when I was 12. I still remember it to this day. It was not pretty.”

“You’re…you’re not disgusted by me?” I pulled slightly away from her, even though I wanted to keep touching her. Her hand was soothing to my battered soul, reassuring me everything would be okay, even when it wasn’t.

“Why would I be?” She gave my hip a shove, climbing onto the bed the rest of the way. “Scooch over.”

I slid across the bed, making room for her, and she lay down on her side next to me. Not for the first time, I realized she was the most beautiful woman alive, and I was the luckiest man considering she was here in my bed. “Because I’m an addict who can’t remember the last time I was sober. And I’m about to go through an absolutely disgusting withdrawal.”

“Oh, Theo.” She sighed. “We all have flaws. Some of us wear them on our heart, and some of us wear them on our skin.”

In that moment, I fell completely and utterly in love with her. I would’ve leaned forward to tell her so, and kiss her like I had never kissed her before, if a wave of nausea hadn’t overpowered me. “I’m going to be sick.” I slapped my hand over my mouth, and Savannah leapt out of bed.

“Hold on, let me find a bucket!” She grabbed the metal basin I used for dirty clothes, and stuck it in front of my face.

I heaved until there was nothing left in my stomach–not that there had been much to start with. The nice thing about not eating was how quickly I got drunk. The bad thing about not eating was going to be the lack of toast. I could really go for a piece of toast right now. Savannah sat on the edge of the bed next to me, rubbing my back and pushing my hair away from my face. The last time someone had taken such good care of me, I was a child, being cared for by my mom. I didn’t realize until now how much I’d hated taking care of myself for so long.

“I’m so sorry,” I muttered, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I felt shaky and sweaty, and ready to take a year-long nap. I also knew this was only the beginning. “This isn’t something you need to see.”

She rolled her eyes, taking the disgusting bucket away from me, and handing me a wet towel in its place. “Don’t apologize. This is what you do for the people you love.”

We both froze, her clutching the basin, and me with the cloth halfway to my face. “You love me?”