“You hungry?”
“I don’t know what to do,” he says, ignoring my question. “I can’t go back there. I can’t face him.”
“Of course, you can. He’ll come around.”
“No, he won’t. I lied to him. He hates liars, and I lied to him for years. There’s no going back.” He sighs and peeks at me through his lashes. “Aren’t you gonna say ‘I told you so’?”
“I’d never say that.”
“Yeah, you would,” he says, his lips twitching.
I grab his hand, squeezing it. “Not about this.”
“Well, you were right. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Seth—”
“’Cause even if he somehow would forgive me, how am I ever gonna go back to being just friends with him? Now that I’ve had him? How am I supposed to not love him anymore? Can you tellme that?” He looks me straight in the eye, and I can’t tell if it’s hope that I’ve actually got an answer for him that I see there, or defeat because he knows I don’t.
I shake my head. “No.”
He nods once. “Right.”
77
Kaden
Now playing: “With me” by Sum 41
Iwakeupinmy own apartment for the first time in weeks, but I’m not there mentally. I don’t know where my mind is at anymore.
When I got home yesterday, I dropped off my shit, then went straight down to the basement and punched the bag until my knuckles turned red and bruised, and I felt nothing. I’m like a fucking shadow, just floating around. And nothing makes sense.
When I get to work, I pause right outside for a beat and take a deep breath, bracing myself, before I place a hand on the door handle, and open it. I walk inside, expecting to see Seth behind the counter, but it’s just Iggy.
“Hey! Welcome back,” she says, as Kit appears in the back-doorway.
“Hey,” I say, while glancing around the studio.
“Where’s Seth?” Iggy says, looking at me.
“What?”
“He’s still out of town,” Kit says. “He’s off this week. Family emergency.” He glances at Iggy and then at me where his gaze lingers.
“What?” Iggy’s eyes grow wide. “Why? What’s wrong?” She turns to me, expecting me to have any answers, but I don’t so I glance at Kit.
“Nothing serious,” he says. “Everyone’s okay. He needed some time off, is all.”
“Kaden?” Iggy looks at me. “Do you know anything? Did something happen on the trip?”
I just shake my head, dropping my gaze. Kit turns and walks back out to his office. I pick up my phone, acting like it’s captivating as fuck, ignoring Iggy’s gaze and questions behind me as I follow Kit. Eyes still glued to my phone.
He’s behind his desk when I enter his office, and as I close the door behind me, he looks up.
“What emergency?” I ask.
“He didn’t say.” He leans back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach and stares at me. “How was the trip?”
