Page 111 of Black Hollow: Awakening

Will shook his head. He had completely forgotten.

“Because as I recall, you were supposed to organize our meeting,” Blake pointed out. “I put it out of my mind, and now look where we are. We’re in a hopeless situation.”

“You want to do it now?”

“When else? During the break tomorrow? I brought the materials. Wait here,” Blake instructed, then walked out through the open door, which was hanging pathetically on one hinge.

“Where else would I wait?” Will muttered under his breath, putting his phone down.

A moment later, Blake reappeared with several wooden planks of various sizes and a large shopping bag. He shot Will a look that was both pointed and critical. Will cleared the dishes from the table. He hadn’t been in the mood to clean up yesterday.

“What are we making?” he asked, putting the dishes in the sink.

“A small box.”

Will turned to look at Alden in astonishment.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Blake grumbled, irritated. “We don’t have time for anything fancy, okay? Just help me get started so you feel like you did something, and I’ll finish it at home.”

Will spared him a comment.

“For God’s sake,” Blake said suddenly, looking disgusted. “We don’t have time. If you start talking to your little boyfriend, I’m leaving.”

Will glanced over his shoulder, not quite understanding. It took him a moment to realize that Oscar was calling him. His phone was on silent, but Oscar’s name had appeared on the screen. Will swallowed hard and started washing the dishes, trying to compose himself.

Blake sat down at the table and began to lay out the things he’d brought.

“Answer it,” he said at one point.

Will spared him a glance.

“Answer it, you hear me?” Alden urged him. “He’s calling again, so it’s probably something important. Or he wants to let you know he’s coming over, which also isn’t a good idea. Either way, you can talk to him for a minute. I won’t be mad.”

Will snorted at the gracious permission.

“Are you deaf?” Blake hissed.

Will started drying the dishes.

“And he’s calling again! Are you going to answer or just ignore him?”

Will bit his lip nervously, not responding.

“I’m assuming you two had a fight, but that’s no reason not to answer when he’s calling this many times in a row. It really could be something serious. Or he just wants to apologize, which isn’t so tragic, don’t you think?”

Will remained silent.

“Why are you so stubborn?”

Tears started to well up in Will’s eyes. He’d been polishing the same plate for a while now.

“You should appreciate that someone’s taken an interest in you and treat them better.” Blake’s words were like a punch to the gut. “And not get offended like a child just because someone said something you don’t like.”

Will’s hands started to shake.

“You won’t get anywhere with that attitude,” Alden continued, still clearly unaware he was treading on extremely thin ice. “You’ll just push him away.”

Silence.