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“What if I do?”
“I can’t do this right now.”
“Why? Because of him?”
“Who?”
“The guy on your road trip. Are you with him now?”
I stare at the rumpled side of my bed Devin occupied all afternoon, and a pang punches me in the heart.
“He has nothing to do with this. You and I have been over for months, Logan. You’re staying in Vermont for school. You want to do long distance less than I do.”
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind. I’ve had a lot of time to think, Novarina. We were pretty amazing together before I screwed it up. That night with Julia keeps me up at night, so sick to my stomach. I never should’ve gotten so drunk. Just seeing you with another guy for a date, knowing what I lost. I wish I could take it all back. You and I could be amazing again. Even better because I know what I’m missing.”
“Logan…”
“Just think about it. Okay? I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right. I’ll spend forever trying to make it up to you if that’s what it takes. I’ll wait however long you need.”
“I have to go.” Before he can say more, I hang up.
I fling back onto the bed before rolling over and screaming into my pillow.It’s my fault he got drunk and cheated?He can’t seriously be insinuating that.Hebroke up withme.Hehumiliatedme. He had a date to prom just as much as I did. I force my anger into the feathers beneath my head.
“You thinking about forgiving him?”
My head swivels to the doorway of my room. Devin leans against the frame with his arms folded. Sitting, I heave a sigh. “I don’t know.”
“Even after everything he did to you.”
“It’s complicated. We have a lot of history. It’d make life a lot easier back home, around our friends.”
“What friends? From what you’ve said, they all played a part in hurting you. Gossiping about the breakup video, whispering at the party when he got caught with Julia.”
“Stop.” We’re talking about forgiving, not my taking him back.
“You’re not going home, Nova. You’re going to college across the country. You don’t owe him or them anything. This can be a fresh start for you.”
Why does he even care? We’re not anything. Barely friends, or so he said the other night. He had the chance to kiss me during the movie, and he didn’t bite. Even if he didn’t pull away, the rejection stings all the same. Frustrated, I spit a little venom.
“Stay out of it, Devin. Just because we’ve had a couple conversations about Logan doesn’t make you an expert. You don’t understand.”
Devin’s head bobs as he scratches his neck, but his eyes hold none of the warmth he’s gained for me over the last few days. “I’m hungry. What are we doing about dinner?”
The whiplash of waking up snuggled against him to the indifferent gleam in his stare is jarring. “We can grab a bite at the restaurant in the resort lodge.”
“Great.” He turns and calls over his shoulder. “I’ll head there. You can come if you want.”
* * *
To say dinner is less than comfortable is an understatement. Other than ordering, we don’t say a word. Devin types away on his phone, and I doodle a new concept on a napkin as we ignore each other until our food arrives. Even then, we eat in silence, taking in the resort and people around us—the summer vacationers. My family is more a part of the winter travelers when the mountains are covered in snow, visiting throughout the cold season. Still, occasionally, we make a short trip during the summer. Typically, it’s Mom and Dad coming here to get away from us.
Swallowing my last bite, my ears perk up when I hear, “Nova!”
My eyes dart around the lodge and land on a petite brunette bound for our table. “Claire?”
I get to my feet as she makes a beeline for my chair and catch her as she hurls herself into my arms.
“I can’t believe you’re here! I never get to see you in the summer, and not seeing you last winter… It’s been too long.”
