“Maybe not right then and there, but the next day. Or on the ride out to the house. Or during that first week, before we all—”
“I know,” I said again. “I know… and you’re right.” I felt guilty. I felt shitty. “It was all on me,” I admitted. “I just… I guess…”
“You were afraid,” she offered.
“Terrified,” I said. “Terrified of losing you.”
“I’m a lot stronger than you give me credit for, Kyle. You could’ve told me. Maybe I would’ve understood.”
“Maybe,” I pointed out. “See that? Even you said it. Maybe.”
There was a long silence as we both sat there for a moment, letting the gravity of the situation sink in. She still looked mad. But she looked… softer than before.
Thank God.
“I wish you would’ve said something Kyle.”
“Hey,” I said. “Remember when we first hooked up? I warned you it was stalker-ish.”
She ignored me. “You could’ve, you know.”
Her face still held sadness. I felt shitty all over again. “I know…”
We stared at each other through another bout of silence. It was broad daylight there. I could see sunshine spilling in through the windows behind her.
“Ryan’s there now?”
“Yes.”
I nodded. “And how’s it going with Brigg—”
“Things with Jason are good,” she said pointedly. “We’re all okay here. Even after… the stuff that happened.”
I bit my lip in frustration. I wanted to be there so badly! To put my arm around her, to make everything right. And to fix our problem too.
“How’s Dakota?” she asked.
I tried to smile. “He’s… Dakota.”
“Okay.”
“We miss you, Sammara. The both of us. We talk about you every day.”
Through the tiny screen I saw her body language change. Her shoulders slumped. She’d let go of something, and I could only hope it was something negative.
“I miss you too,” she finally said.
Now I did smile. She even almost smiled back.
“I have to go,” she said. “But keep safe. The both of you. Tell Dakota too, okay?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I will.”
I saw her nod again. She glanced down, to reach for the button.
“Sammara wait. Can I talk to Briggs?”
She looked over her shoulder. Nodded.