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“Yes!” he says, throwing his arms up in frustration.
Keith does have a point. Kohl knows damn well where to find me. I’ve been here the entire month since we broke up. If he wanted to contact me before today, he could have. But he didn’t. He let me go, and he broke my heart. I can’t go back to that, because honestly, the same issue remains: I want more. More than he can give. And a two-second interview confession isn’t going to change that.
“No, you’re right. He’s an ass.” I glance at my telescope and push out a breath. My focus is completely shot now. “I just need to get out of here. It’s been a long day.”
Keith nods and pushes out a relieved breath. “Can I walk you home?”
I just want to be alone, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings, so I smile. “Sure. Thanks.”
I carefully and meticulously store all my instruments before grabbing my bag so we can head out. The house is on the other side of the small campus, so it will be a short walk, thankfully. One thing I like about Keith, though, is that he doesn’t push. He’s happy to walk in silence, which is something I appreciate right now.
“Oh, my GOD!” One of my classmates, Becca, comes rushing up to me. “Did you see that interview Evan Kohl did today? He called you out, Maddy. Said he loves you! Fuck, if only I could get a guy like that.”
I just smile, because I’m not really sure what to say. Do I just deny it, or laugh and pretend it’s a joke? Fuck. I didn’t think anyone would confront me about it. Especially this quickly.
As I’m considering how to respond, more people spot me and start crowding around, offering congratulations, and asking me questions. Then, of course, the gathering crowd draws even more attention, and before long, I’m being suffocated by people—strangers—wanting all the details about my love life. There are even several people from the press there, shouting their questions.
I gasp for air, tears welling up in my eyes and my vision spinning. It’s just too much to deal with. I don’t even know how I feel about the situation yet, and people are pressing me to answer emotionally intimate questions.
“Hey, hey, guys! Back off. Give her some room to breathe,” Keith says, grabbing my hand. He tugs me through the crowd until we’re free of the tight, suffocating ball of people. His gaze flicks over my face. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“Yeah,” I choke out. “Good idea.”
After shaking off even the most persistent stragglers, we head home. Still holding hands, Keith tows me across campus to the house I share with half-a-dozen other female students. On the front porch, he finally lets go of my hand.
“Hey, um, Maddy,” he says, stepping close to me. “I know you’re going through a lot right now. I just want you to know…I’m here for you.” And then he leans in and kisses me.
I’m stunned for a second, and I don’t move. His scent, and the feel of his warm lips on mine, just feels weird, and so wrong. In that split second that our lips are locked, it feels like I’m cheating on Evan. I know I’m not, but I just can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t right.
Pushing on Keith’s chest, I break the kiss and take a step back. “Keith,” I say. “Thank you for being such a good friend, but…I just can’t right now. It’s too soon.”
Maybe after my heart heals, it won’t feel like I’m kissing an eel. A very handsome, kind, and understanding…eel.
Keith glances down, and places his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I get it. I’m sorry, that was—”
“Don’t worry about it,” I interrupt. The less we actually talk about what just happened, the better. This entire thing is awkward as fuck. “I know it’s cliche, but it really is just me. I’m in a weird place.”
“Yeah, of course,” he says, taking a step back, then another. “No worries. I’ll, uh, see you in the lab tomorrow.”
I nod. “Thank you for your help with all that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I slip around the back of the house after saying goodbye, then unlock the door and duck into the house through the kitchen, up the stairs unseen by my housemates and straight to my room. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. I sink onto my bed, deflated. I just need some time to figure things out, and get my shit together. I can’t go on like this. Being emotionally jerked around by everything Evan does and says.
I need to get over him.
Somehow, I need to forget Evan Kohl.
Chapter 34
Brokenhearted
The quiet solitude in my bedroom doesn’t last long, despite my having snuck up here unseen. In minutes, I’m inundated by my roommates, Lexi, Cassie, and Avery, their eyes wide and frantic.
“Oh, thank God, you made it back safely,” Avery says, handing me the Hill House landline. “The phone has been ringing off the hook for the last couple hours. Mostly media outlets. They want a statement.”
I immediately raise my fingers to my temples and rub instead of taking the receiver from her. Oh, hell no. There’s no possible way I can deal with this right now.
Shaking my head, I wave the phone away. “I, uh, need to be alone for a while. Just…I don’t know, tell them ‘no comment’ or whatever. Please?”
