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I bite down on my lip and shake my head, willing myself to stop thinking about Carter. I’m so lost in thought that I’m startled when Dad calls my name.
I turn to look at him, my eyes widening when I realize Carter is standing next to him. His eyes fall to Sam’s hand holding mine, and he grits his teeth, anger flashing through his eyes.
“You heading out, sweetheart?” Dad asks, and I nod.
Sam grins at Dad and throws his arm around my shoulders. “Emilia is showing me around town, and we’re grabbing dinner later.”
Carter nods, his expression unreadable. “I’ll let Enzo know not to expect you two for dinner either,” he says, before turning to Dad. “He’ll just be cooking for you, then. Don’t even try to get him to cook anything you shouldn’t be eating. I’ll know.”
Dad smiles and shakes his head, the camaraderie between them heartwarming.
“Are you having dinner at your parents’ house?” I ask, and Carter’s eyes drop to Sam’s arm wrapped around my shoulder, before he looks up at me, shaking his head.
“No,” he says. “I’ve got a date.”
My heart drops and my stomach twists violently. I freeze and look up at him in disbelief before forcing a smile onto my face.
“Oh, have fun,” I say, unable to look him in the eye. Thoughts of him with Layla fill my head, and jealousy knots up my stomach.
“Ah, Emilia did tell me that you have a girlfriend,” Sam says. “I’d love to meet her at some point.”
I bite down on my lip hard and stare at the floor, willing myself to gather my thoughts. This is for the best. I should be happy for him.
“Will you be okay having dinner by yourself?” Sam asks Dad.
Dad huffs and waves us off. “I’m not a child,” he says, his tone offended, and I smile at Dad.
“We’ll see you later, all right?” I murmur, just wanting to get out of here already.
“Everything okay?” Sam asks as we get into the car.
I nod at him and smile. “I don’t like the idea of Dad being by himself,” I end up saying, lying, covering for my true feelings.
Sam nods in understanding. “We won’t make it a late night.”
I nod and drive us to my old high school, wanting to show Sam some of the places I spent most of my time at growing up.
I park in front of the building and smile, memory after memory filling my mind. I try to think of some stories to tell Sam, but every single one of my memories involves either Carter or Kate. In the end, I end up driving us around town, pointing out various places, but not a single one isn’t connected to the Clarkes.
By the time I pull up at the restaurant I’m mentally and emotionally exhausted. Sam smiles at me and presses a kiss to my cheek.
“That was fun,” he says. “Seeing this town through your eyes.”
I smile at him, relieved that he couldn’t tell how distraught I was.
Sam holds my hand as we walk into the restaurant, and he seems excited as we wait for the waitress to seat us. This is exactly what we needed, just a bit of quality time. If only I could give Sam all my attention mentally too.
I smile at the waitress as she leads us to our seats, and Sam looks around happily. As we sit down, I finally relax. This restaurant… this is one of the few places where I don’t have memories with Carter. When we were younger, we could never really afford to come here.
Sam reaches for my hand over the table as he checks out the menu, and I smile. He needs to be my focus tonight.
My smile drops when I see a familiar figure approach from the corner of my eyes, and my heart sinks when my eyes find Carter’s.
I blink in surprise, my mind barely comprehending him being here. It’s not me he’s looking at, though. No, it’s Layla he’s with. It’s Layla’s hand that’s nestled in his, it’s her he’s smiling at.
Carter pulls Layla’s chair out for her, and she grins up at him. He’s looking at her like she’s all he can see, and it wrecks me. It kills me to see him looking at her the way he used to look at me. My heart twists painfully and I feel sick. It takes all of me to pull my gaze away and pretend I didn’t see him, but unfortunately for me, the waitress seats them right in front of us, my view unobstructed. Layla’s back is to me, but I can see Carter clearly.
“Everything okay?” Sam asks. I blink and nod, but I’ve clearly taken too long to respond, because Sam turns around and sees Carter.
