I'm A Stick Beside Him Novels & Stories

Not even close. “This is…” I started, then realised I didn’t even know his name. Right. Great. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. The guy beside me shifted, clearly picking up on something he didn’t understand. “I think I’ll grab a drink,” he said, backing away. “I’ll see you around.” And just like that, I was alone with him. Again. Different place. Same problem. “You shouldn’t be here,” I said, my voice lower now. “This isn’t your scene.”

Walking toward the place where twenty years of patience was about to meet something it had never accounted for. Caden fell into step beside me. Not behind. Not in front, claiming the space the way he once would have. Beside. It was, I thought, exactly where he needed to learn how to be.

I said quietly. “I’m not,” he said, voice low. “I’ll stay. But only if you’re ready to work with it, not against it.” I let out a long breath, not quite a laugh, not quite a sigh. “Then I guess we’re stuck together.” “Yes,” he said, almost fondly. “Stuck. For now.”

I shook my head. "That's the thing, you said you were all good beside me, but what if I am not there?" I frowned on hearing him say that. "I want you to be strong on your own, not because I'm there," he said. "Go, I will catch you if you fall."

I said softly. He stood beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched. “Whatever happens,” he said, “I won’t let you face it alone.”

“But I stayed steady because you were beside me.” Ryder tightened his embrace. “Then we will face what is coming the same way. Side by side.”

Not because the problems are gone… But because for once, there’s something — someone — steady to breathe next to. And tonight, I’ll be walking beside him again.

“So this is also a message.” “Yes.” “To her.” “And to everyone watching.” I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. “You’re pulling me into this deeper.” “You’re already in.” “That doesn’t mean I have to stand in front of it.” “Yes, it does.” I looked at him, searching for something—hesitation, maybe. There wasn’t any. “Say it clearly,” I said. His gaze didn’t shift. “I need you beside me.” The words landed heavier than they should have.

He moved to the window. Looked out at a garden beyond. It was immaculate. Roses in perfect bloom. Paths symmetrical. A fountain at the center. “You exhausted yourself,” he continued quietly. “You bore too much weight.” “I offered stability.” “You offered obedience.” He turned back to her. And for a moment— The delusion cracked. Just slightly. There was something fevered in his gaze. “You were always meant to stand beside me.” Not beneath. Not above. Beside. He said it like a vow.

I look at him. "I know," I say. "Do you?" "I know it here." I put my hand over my chest. "And sometimes it takes a minute to get from here to here." I move my hand to my head. He almost smiles. "Then take the minute." "I already did." "And?" "And you're still the only person in this clearing I want to be standing next to."