Page 120 of Where Roads Lead

Which wasn’t bad! It was just…decidedly different from the rusticness of Will’s pickup truck I’d grown accustomed to.

The car was clean. The type of clean that made me think he never, under any circumstances, allowed anyone to snack in. I was too afraid to even pull out a piece of gum in its pristineness.

It also smelled like man. Not Will’s pine and outdoorsy scent of man. But Prada cologne and hair gel.

While I took stock of every marked difference between Theo and Will and the vehicles they used to haul them around town, I tried to listen as he talked a lot about sports.

Baseball, mostly. Even though baseball season was over. But, to my satisfaction, I learned he had in fact ran track in high school, proving my earliest assumption about him correct. But only during the off seasons, so he could stay in shape for lacrosse.

He asked about me, too. High school, mostly, much to my dismay, since those definitely were not my golden years. He pegged me for a theater kid, which I tried not to take offense to, but he found it similarly fitting when he found out I was on the school paper.

I didn’t see what theater had to do with journalism, except maybe Newsies, but I didn’t point that out.

I was sure we’d be moving on to talk of college next, but there was only so much ground you could cover from the three minutes it took to drive from my house to the town square.

“We should’ve just walked.” I laughed as he tried to find a parking spot along the full road.

“I’d never let a lady walk on the first date,” he said in feigned outrage. “It’s like, in the manual that you have to pick her up. You know, ring the doorbell, shake hands with the parents, the whole ordeal.”

“Too bad my parents are in Boston, and in a house I haven’t lived in since I was eighteen.” I laughed.

“Well, I pet your cat, so that was the next best thing.”

He smiled warmly, and I felt guilty for some reason. Theo was easy to get along with. Funny, too. But I didn’t feel it yet. The sparks, or whatever it was you were supposed to feel.

I guess I hadn’t with Andrew, either. Or any of the other guys I’d dated. Deep down, I knew the whole butterfly, fireworks thing was a myth, but I’d at least felt attraction before. But between Theo and I? It just wasn’t there.

“I’m just gonna park behind the café,” he said, maneuvering toward Hughes, before pulling into a small area behind the café I hadn’t known even existed.

But there sat Will’s truck parked next to Ava’s car, right beside a dumpster.

“Is Will going to the Fall Fest tonight?” I asked suddenly.

“Will?” He snorted. “No way. I tried to talk him into it, but you know him—anything fun, and he runs in the opposite direction.”

“Lame,” I said, even as I felt myself deflate. I liked being around Will. I liked teasing him and acting outrageous to make him laugh. The truth was, after spending almost every day in his vicinity since I got here, I’d gotten used to him being around.

It’s just one night. You’ll see him in the morning.

As if thinking of him was enough to conjure him up, Will walked out the back door with Ava close beside him.

My heart sped up at the sight of him, and if I’d been alone, I probably would’ve verbally berated the damned thing for acting against our better interests.

“Speak of the devil,” Theo said, turning off the ignition and getting out of the car.

“Hey, what are you doing back—” I heard Will start to ask, only for his words to die when I climbed out the passenger side. “Elsie?”

Ava’s eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected to see me there. Odd, considering her previous behavior suggests she’d love nothing more than to attend mine and Theo’s wedding.

Now, she looked between the two men with apprehension, as if they were puzzle pieces she couldn’t quite figure out.

“Hey.” I waved awkwardly, feeling suddenly wildly out of place beside Theo.

Usually, when I saw Will, he was the one I was standing beside or headed somewhere with. I’d gotten used to it being that way.

To wave ‘hey’ at him before running off for the night with his friend felt strange. Wrong, even.

This is what he wants. I reminded myself when the feeling of guilt settled on me.