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We reach the town and pull over at a small shop off the main street. I pull my helmet off and set it on the seat of my bike. Lanston dismounts his motorcycle and when he pulls his helmet off, he flashes me a bright smile as he mutters, “Damn, Wynn. You drive like a fucking psychopath.”
“Shut up, you’re the one who raced by me going like a hundred!”
He chuckles and wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Now, now, let’s not get into the nitty-gritty details.” We both laugh as we walk down the sidewalk of this enchanted little storybook town. I’m shocked it’s not a huge tourist spot. Every lamppost and shop window has fall decor strung up. Leaves, pumpkins, witch hats, hay bales.
This place beckons me, makes me want to sit and watch people for a bit. Curl up next to a roaring fire and sip coffee as I watch the leaves fall and hear people share laughter. Lanston glances down at me and must catch on.
“You wanna grab a croissant and sit? We sorta didn’t eat our breakfast, huh?” He lets go of my shoulder and points across the street at a cute café that’s snug between a bookstore and a pub.
“You read my mind. Should we find Liam first, though? I think he’d like that too.” I look around the shops to see if I can spot Liam.
Lanston sighs and gives me a forlorn grin. “Yeah, I know exactly where he is.”
He leads us down a few alleys before we come up to the base of a hill. We take our time climbing the cement stairs that wind up the slope to the top.
It’s a lookout over Bakersville.
When we reach the small parking at the summit, we find a white Camaro parked in the center with someone sitting on the hood, facing out toward the valley.
“Is that Liam?” I ask, not sure because the guy has his hood pulled up.
“Yep,” Lanston chirps. “Our sad little Liam.”
My chest sinks. Why is he sad? We had a great night, I thought. Is something bothering him?
“Liam?” I call over to him as I trot over to the car. He turns his head and doesn’t seem surprised to see the two of us.
“Hey,” he mutters. His eyes are sunken like he hasn’t slept for days.
Lanston sits on the hood beside him and puts his arm over his shoulder. “What’s up? You ready to head to the tat shop?” Liam doesn’t shrug our friend off like he usually does. He just remains slumped. The sight of him feeling this down carves out a piece of my heart.
“It itches bad today.”
“What does?” I say without thinking. Instantly feeling stupid, I mutter, “Oh.”
He wants to hurt himself.
But… why? I can’t help but feel this has something to do with last night. Does he regret telling me he loves me? The sting of being unwanted scorches within me.
“Is it because of me?” I flat-out ask him.
Lanston’s eyes widen at me but Liam just looks at me with disinterested, cruel eyes.
“Yeah, I guess in a way.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I fist my hands tightly to try to keep them there.
“Why are you acting like this? I thought—”
“Acting like what, Wynn? I’m fuckingsick. Some days I just need to be alone, okay?” he snaps at me. I flinch and stare at him in disbelief. “You two should just leave. I’m not feeling like myself today.”
Lanston shoves Liam off the hood of the Camaro. His ass hits the ground and he doesn’t bother trying to get back up.
“Fuck you, Liam. Don’t come back until you’re going to man the fuck up and apologize. You don’t talk to friends like that. You don’t talk toherlike that. I don’t care what your fucking excuse is,” he says in a low voice that sends chills up my spine.
Liam keeps his chin close to his chest, unwilling to look up at us.
“Come on, Wynn. Let’s get out of here.” Lanston grabs my hand and pulls me back toward the stairs.
