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“Well, you just type Thalia’s name into any online search engine, and about a million hits come back, detailing what happened to her. And I didn’t look into her once.” I’d looked up Damien on social media and researched ghosts in town, but I hadn’t once considered checking into my own roommate. “What the hell kind of investigative journalist does that make me?”
Damien grew guiltily quiet before saying, “I really am sorry I didn’t tell you. There were a million opportunities, and I talked myself out of confessing every single time.”
“Yeah, well…” I sighed dismally. “I probably would’ve thought you were loony if youhadtold me. But just so you know, it turns out you’re not the only person who kept my abilities a secret from me.”
After I shared my mom’s story with him about Yaya, he groaned and said, “Shit. I’m sorry, Oaklynn. Hasanyonein your life been honest with you?”
“It makes me wonder,” I agreed with a mirthless laugh, only to grow somber so I could add, “I don’t know why, but your lie wrecked mewaymore than my mom’s did.”
“Fuck,” he breathed from a broken voice. “It’s absolutely killing me that I did this to you. I wish I could…Isthere anything I can do to fix this? Because I will do it. I will do…anything.”
“Wow.” I blew out a low, impressed whistle. “Kind of a lot of power you’re giving me there, Archer.”
“Newsflash, Vargas,” he shot back with a sexy, husky chuckle. “But you’ve always had this power over me. From the very first moment you aimed those dimples my way, I was yours. I’ve been yours from the absolute beginning.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I hugged myself and blinked out a tear. “Damn you, Damien. Stop being so fucking nice and perfect and amiable right now. I’m trying to hate you.”
He cleared his throat remorsefully. “Sorry. I…sorry.”
I hissed out an amused sound. He was still doing it, but I adored it, so I didn’t say anything else.
“You’re not alone, are you?” he spoke up suddenly. “I just… I can’t handle the idea of you going through this alone. Did you at least call Jaylani? I know you two are supposed to be on a break, but this seems bigger than that. You need her. I mean, nothing’s ever made me feel better like having my asshole friends around being stupid and annoying and just…wonderfully supportive.”
I sniffed and wiped at my eyes. “You do have some pretty awesome friends.”
“Borrow them whenever you like,” he offered immediately. “Especially any of the ones that live with me. They’re playing foosball right now at full volume, and I can tell Keene’s been winning. He issoobnoxious and annoying when he wins at foosball. I wouldn’t mind a decent break from him for a while, to be honest.”
I laughed. “I might take you up on that, then, because there’s no way in hell I can tell Jay aboutanyof this. She is an adamant denier of all thingsother.”
“What about that other girl? Lainie? Or Rainy? Or...”
“Honestly,” I muttered before huffing out a long breath. “The only person I want to be around right now is…sadly…you.”
After a beat, he quietly said, “I could come over. Do you want me to come over?”
The hope in his voice made me cringe and start to crumble. But then I held firm and said, “No. Not a good idea. I’m not ready to forgive you yet, and if you came over right now, I’d just end up having sex with you.”
“I wouldn’t let you do that,” he swore.
I sniffed. “As if you’d be able to stop me.”
“Good point,” he agreed after a moment, and I could literally hear the wince in his voice. “I wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I know. But… Could you stay on the line with me until I fall asleep? I think I could handle that.”
His voice cracked as he answered, “I would be honored.”
“Could you tell me about Thalia,” I asked.
He was quiet for a second before he rasped, “Of course. What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” I said. “Whatever you couldn’t tell me before.”
“Well…” He blew out a long breath. “She was ten years older than me, but…she was my entire world.”
I swallowed thickly, hearing the sadness in his voice.
“I was a shy, insecure kid who didn’t know how to make friends. My parents tried to put me on a couple of ball teams, but that just made me feel worse. It seemed so easy for the other boys to get along with each other, and I couldn’t figure out how they did it. Thalia got me, though. She liked being a star who put on a show, and I liked following her around like a fan, always willing to be her captive audience.”
