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She sucks in a sharp breath and turns her head to the side to stare at me again. Her eyes are nowhere as big now. "You did? Isn't that a good thing? What happened? What did you do?"
"They’re awful, Ava. Absolutely awful. And I did nothing. That's the problem. I did absolutely nothing. I just stared at him—silently—for a good five minutes after he finally opened up to me."
Ava turns her head to the front again and gnaws on her lip. I groan and wipe my hands down my cheeks. "I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot," she scolds and pushes herself up into a sitting position. "Maybe a little slow, but not an idiot."
"What do I do? You know Tyler better than I do."
She flicks me in the arm. "We both know that isn't true anymore."
Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch.
"Just go talk to him. I'll even drive you on my way to Adam's," she offers, smiling warmly. "After you shower that is."
I push myself out of bed with a laugh. I hear the soft ding of Ava's phone when I stretch out all the tight muscles that have been extremely unused in the last day.
"I'm going to get rid of my stench. Just make yourself at home," I say, earning a nod in response.
"Always do." She winks. When she looks down at her phone, green eyes popping open with excitement as she presses it to her ear. "Hey, baby. "
I catch the muffled voice of my brother on the other end of the call before I turn and head to my bathroom, smiling wide.
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“Tell me again why you need to go to Adam’s?" I ask when we get inside Ava's brand new Range Rover—a very extravagant gift from my brother. Apparently, her old car wasn't cutting it for Oakley, so like any twenty-three-year-old millionaire, he went out and bought her her dream car. Of course, in good Ava fashion, she insisted he bring it back that day, but the silly girl should have known that wouldn't work.
"It's a long story," she sighs over the soft murmurs coming from the fancy sound system.
"Too bad. Tell me."
Flipping on her blinker she moves into the far lane. "Oakley and I kept something from him that we shouldn't have."
Raising a brow, I wait for her to continue.
"Last time your brother and I were here, we went out to this new bar opening and saw Cora there. And she wasn’t there with Adam," she sighs and furrows her brows, causing a few wrinkles to slide across her otherwise smooth forehead. My stomach swirls at the thought of Adam’s girlfriend—of one seemingly solid year—out partying with another guy.
"Okay,” I ask. “Who was she with? A guy?”
Ava nods. "No clue. I’ve never seen him before, but we’re pretty positive that it wasn’t just a friendly meeting. Unless making out with your friends is the new normal.”
"For real? What a bitch." Poor Adam. He always ends up with the shit end of every damn stick.
"I should have told him, Gray. He's really hurt." She turns into Tyler's visibly unappealing neighbourhood with a frown so deep I’m afraid it could stay like that forever. My mom always said that if you frown for too long, your face would stay like that. Although it was just a scare tactic, I wouldn’t want Ava never to smile again. She has a smile that could turn anyone’s day from gloomy, to bright and sunny.
We stand out like a sore thumb as we continue driving down the pothole-infested street, our bodies jostling around with every bump. Would it kill the city to fill in some of these? It's clear the neighbourhood hasn't heard laughter in a while as the cracked concrete remains unscuffed, not a single soul braving to walk alone even underneath the sun's bright glow. We pass building after building, all of which are empty. The once well-loved storefronts are now decorated with smashed glass and chipped paint, an eyesore to every set of curious eyes. At one time, this must have been a booming neighbourhood. A place people went to mingle and enjoy the light air. But now, it's a place people go when they don't want to be found.
"Adam always forgives you. Don't be too hard on yourself. You didn't mean to hurt him." I give her an encouraging smile before starting to twist the strings of my hoodie. A nervous habit.
"And Tyler will forgive you." She reaches across the center console and gives my arm a squeeze. We pull over to the side of the road and Ava parks beside Tyler’s truck.
The building gawks at us as my thighs remain glued to the seat and fear starts to creep up my spine. This could go terribly wrong. He could open the door just seconds before slamming it back in my face, not listening to a single word I try forcing from my lips.
"You got this, Gray. You're a boss ass bitch. Now go get your man," Ava encourages me from her seat and nods towards the building.
Taking a much-needed breath, I nod a few times and smile at her. I can do this. "Thanks for coming, Ava. I missed you." I lean across the car and give her a quick side hug that she returns just as eagerly. Grabbing my purse from the floor, I open the door.
My sneakers hit the busted sidewalk cautiously as I send Ava a wave and watch her pull away from the curb. I turn to face the building and swallow the ball in my throat and force myself to start walking. It only takes a few seconds to reach the heavy glass door. The heater tucked in the corner of the entrance blows furiously as I step inside and the overbearing smell of cigarette smoke fills my lungs. As I reach forward to buzz his apartment, I notice the door is already held open by a ratty old phone book.
