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“Kat?” Hailey says. “Oh my God, it is you!”
I freeze. I should just walk right out the door and act like I didn’t hear her but something inside of me won’t let me leave. I straighten my spine and turn around to face her. “Hello, Hailey.”
She looks between me and Gavin and gasps as she connects the dots. “Oh, Gavin, she’s your student? What were you thinking?”
“Hailey, not now,” Gavin growls. His eyes meet mine and he adds, “Kat, I’ll find you later, okay?”
I’m pissed about his dismissal but at the same time, I’m thankful for an excuse to get out of here. There is no way in hell I’m prepared to have a rational conversation right now. I narrow my eyes at him. “Yep, I’ll talk to you later.” I spin on my heels and rip open the door. It takes every ounce of willpower I possess to avoid looking back as I walk away.
I barely make it to the nearest restroom before I fall to my knees and cry.
IT’S BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE HAILEY’S ARRIVAL and I still haven’t seen Gavin outside of class. We’ve been texting but whenever I press for information, he tells me he’s still gathering information—whatever that means—and he’ll fill me in as soon as he knows more. He apologizes for being so vague but he swears it’s only because he doesn’t want to bring me into it until he knows the whole story. The one thing I do know is that whatever he has to say, it has something to do with his ex-wife and the possibilities terrify me.
I look down as the text alert chimes on my phone.
Gavin: Can you come over tonight after work? We need to talk.
I take a deep breath before typing my reply.
Me: TALK talk? About what’s going on?
Gavin: Yes.
I just walked into the dressing room of the club to start my shift. How in the hell am I going to get through the next four hours worrying about what he has to say?
Me: It will be late. I don’t get off until 2 in the morning.
Gavin: I’ll wait up. I need to see you.
Me: Okay.
Gavin: I love you. No matter what, just remember that. Okay?
Well, that was cryptic. Nausea bubbles in my stomach as I try reading between the lines.
“Lass, you’re not even dressed yet?” Shawn shrieks as she walks into the room. “You’re on stage in five. Hurry!”
Shit!
Me: Work is calling. I’ll see you a little after 2.
I shove my phone in my locker before I can see another text come through. It’s better to push all thoughts of Gavin aside right now. I grab my stage costume and quickly change my clothes. Okay, Kat, you can do this, I tell myself. I take one last deep breath to gather my bearings, finding that special place inside of me that allows me to anesthetize all of my thoughts and feelings. I’m thankful for that place; it’s helped me get through some really bad days.
“Red, you’re up,” Shawn announces.
I square my shoulders and strut out of the room ready to perform.
I let myself into Gavin’s house a little after three in the morning. I really needed a shower after work so I made a pit stop at my apartment. Yes, I could’ve showered here, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m stalling. I can’t shake the feeling that whatever’s about to happen is going to really fuck with me. I should be excited right now; my acceptance letter from Berkeley came in this morning. I’d been waiting for the moment where I can surprise him with it—been daydreaming about all the creative ways I could break the news to him. Instead, I find myself not wanting to tell him at all. Not until I hear what he has to say first.
“Gavin?” I hang my purse and coat on the hook in the foyer and make my way into the great room.
“In the bedroom,” he calls.
I walk down the darkened hallway, only slightly lit by the blue lights coming from the TV in the bedroom, and pause in the doorway. My heart wallops at the sight of Gavin sitting up in bed, shirtless, with the covers pooled around his waist. You’d think I’d be immune to seeing his bare skin by now, but I’m just as affected as I was the first day we met.
I gulp. “Hey.”
He gives me a sad smile. “Hey.”
