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“Talk to him,” said Lola. “You love him, right?”
I let out a pained sound, half sob, half sigh. In the end, it came down to that: I did love Spencer. Maybe I always had, since we’d first met. Even if he ended up not feeling the same, wasn’t love worth fighting for? At least speaking up?
I closed my eyes and thought back to my dream, me and Spencer, our baby. Our family. The air filled with laughter, his, mine, our baby’s. That future might never be, but it still could. If he didn’t feel how I felt, we could do it as friends. Raise our baby together, coparent, whatever. The Spencer I knew would find a way to be there.
“All right,” I said. “All right, I’ll tell him.”
CHAPTER 23
SPENCER
Iwas watching TV when it hit me, my gym bag.
It came flying out of nowhere and bounced off my head, then rolled down my chest and into my lap. I swatted it off me.
“What the hell, Leon?”
“You’ve been moping for days now. Come on, get up. We’re going to play squash.”
“I’m not moping,” I said. “I’m just tired from the season.”
“Tired, huh, is that it?” Leon plopped down beside me. He stretched out his legs to block my escape. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with Izzy moving out?”
I shot him a black look. “What did she say?”
“Not a damn thing, but come on. I’m not stupid.”
I glanced at my phone where it lay on the table. It had buzzed three times today, once from Coach Nelson. Once from Enrique wanting to hang out. Once from some gym-wear brand wanting my endorsement. I’d left them all on read. I’d get to them later.
“Izzy’s fine,” I said. “She got a new job. I guess she outgrew us, so good for her.”
“Outgrew us.” Leon snorted. “You think I don’t know.”
I was in no mood for games. “You don’t know what?”
Leon slapped his own forehead. “You must think I’m blind, or some kind of fool. You think you were subtle with your sneaking around? Giggling in doorways? Hiding in her room? I know what you were doing, and I know it’s all done.”
I shrugged, feeling petulant. “So, fine, you know. Guess that means you shouldn’t have any questions.”
“Oh, I have questions. Like, what the hell happened? One minute you’re happier than I’ve ever seen you, both of you lovestruck, mooning around. The next, you’re this sad sack laid on the couch. What’d you do, cheat on her?”
“What? No! Of course not.” I whacked at his arm, but he ducked away.
“Talk to me,” he said. “What went wrong with you two?”
I pushed my hair off my face. I needed a haircut. “I don’t know what went wrong. It didn’t work out. I thought it might, but it didn’t, and yeah. Here we are.”
Leon eyed me, suspicious. “That’s not the whole story.”
“What do you know?”
“I know you and Izzy. You were meant for each other. And you finally saw it, and now you’re not talking? What did you do? I know it wasn’t Izzy.”
I couldn’t muster the energy to be offended. I swung a pillow at Leon, but without any strength. It bounced off his knee and landed on my gym bag.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said. “But neither did she. It was just… it was just, it didn’t work out.”
Leon picked up the pillow and set it back in place. “See, I don’t get that. You two were great. And don’t say you weren’t, because I was there. I saw you. You brought out the best in her, that confident side. And Izzy had you back on your game. You both seemed so happy, so…” He frowned and sat straighter. “Okay, so stop me if this is none of my business, but you’re both my best friends. I’ve got to ask. What happened between you? Why did she say she left?”
