Chapter 1
Jared and I are both deaf.
He wasn’t born this way. A car accident took away his hearing and his voice, and for a while, it nearly took his will to live, too. He was broken, desperate, ready to let go. That’s how we met–two strangers on the hospital rooftop, both lost in our own silence. That’s where we fell in love. That’s where we survived five years together, fighting off every cruel look and whispered word.
He once signed to me, his hands trembling with conviction: I will never let you down.
Then fate struck again. There was another crash. This time, against all odds, he woke up with his hearing and voice restored. He came back brighter and stronger than ever, suddenly the talk of the town. Still, he’d hold my hand and promise that he would never let me down.2
Until his birthday party.
That night, thinking I couldn’t hear, he let his guard down in front of his friends. I watched him smile, watched him raise his glass, and heard him say everything he’d never dared to say to me:2
“She’s seen me at my worst. And she’s still deaf–honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing to bring her around. Sometimes I wish she’d just disappear. Maybe then, I’d remember her forever.”
He never knew my secret.2
He never knew that for five years, I’d pretended to be deaf and mute–just to help him find his strength again.}
012
On Jared’s birthday, he wanted me to meet all his old friends.
Hle
knew I “couldn’t hear,” so he made a whole show of teaching everyone a bit of sign language. Just so they could turn to me and say, “Hey, Elise,” with big, awkward smiles.
My cheeks burned as I sat there, clutching my glass of juice, trying to look calm. But inside, I was planning. Tonight, I’d finally tell him the truth. It’s his thirtieth birthday present.
Jared was on top of the world, laughing, drinking, surrounded by people who adored him. Someone dragged him off to sing karaoke, and the whole place buzzed with energy. I was genuinely happy for hirn.2
He was born to shine; he was never meant to be held back by anything. Now that he was whole again, everyone who used to sneer at him looked at him with envy. My Jared had finally found his place in the world.
I watched him quietly, counting down the minutes. When he finally collapsed next to me, exhausted and grinning, I gently tugged his sleeve.
He turned, his eyes soft, and started signing, “Elise, are you tired?”
I shook my head and signed back, “I have something I need to tell you. It’s important.”
He nodded, ready to take my hand and sneak out of the room, but one of his friends grabbed his shoulder. “Hey, don’t bail! Just one more drink!”
He didn’t let go.
Jared pointed at me, then, just in case I couldn’t hear, he spoke and signed at the same time, “Elise needs to talk to me. I’ll just take her outside for a minute.”
I looked at him, then at the crowd. Everyone was still having fun. I hesitated, then shook my head. “It can wait,” I signed. “It’s rare for everyone to get together. You should stay and have fun.”
Jared saw my sign and smiled, reaching out to ruffle my hair. “You are the best,” he murmured.
He didn’t sign that part, but it wasn’t hard to read his lips.
He never held back from loving me, not even with a room full of people watching. He always made me blush, made me lower my eyes and hide behind my hair. And every single time, he’d just smile even wider.
“Elise is the cutest when she’s blushing.”
