Houston’s head swiveled back down to me, and his lips twitched as amusement lit up his eyes. “Damn, baby, Rich isn’t even here. He gets dumped too?”
“Yup.”
Just not for the reason the two of them believed.
Even now, Jericho was missing-in-action, and my pride wouldn’t allow me to ask. I didn’t want to know if he was avoiding me again.
Finished fastening his watch, Loren looked up, and then he leaned back with the bottom of his right foot planted against the wall. “What color panties are we wearing today?” he inquired with a smile.
Suddenly, I was standing in a field. There was grass as tall as my waist, and I could almost feel the flower petals slipping between my fingers as I walked. I knew the answer Loren was looking for because I hadn’t forgotten the day I became Bound, either.
“Black like my heart.”
I saw the pride in Loren’s eyes and knew I’d always be theirs.
Jericho still hadn’t returned when we left for the hour-long drive to Portland. To make matters more annoying Houston and Loren were pretending not to know where he’d gone or what held him up.
I didn’t want to be the kind of girl who didn’t ask the important questions because she was too afraid of the answers. Day after day, it seemed that was exactly who I was allowing myself to become. I wouldn’t know how to let them go if they forced me to, and it was obvious that Jericho had secrets.
Would we survive them?
My stomach filled with dread when the answer didn’t come. My mind couldn’t seem to settle on a single theory of what he kept from me because my heart refused to believe any of them. When I realized my hands were actually wringing in my lap, I forced them apart and swallowed past the phantom taste of sour milk.
Fuck this.
Disgusted with myself, I had my phone in my hand and typing before I even knew what I would say.
Where are you?
Green apples burst on my tongue when he answered right away. I hadn’t expected that.
Jericho: Home.
I scoffed, which drew Houston’s attention to me briefly as he drove with one hand and fiddled with the radio with the other. Finally allowing myself to ask the question that’s had my heart trapped in my throat since he first started to pull away, I typed my response.
Are you avoiding me?
My hands shook as I watched those fucking bubbles appear and disappear for what seemed like an eternity. Despite knowing the truth, I wasn’t as prepared for it as I thought.
Rich: Yes.
I didn’t get to figure out what I should say to that before he sent another text.
Rich: We need to talk.
Loren was saying something. I didn’t know whether it was to Houston or me as Houston parked his truck in front of a low stone wall of a small, dirt parking lot. I didn’t respond to Loren as I texted Rich instead.
About?
He forced me to watch those bubbles dance long enough to make me fear the worst, only for him to send another cryptic one-word response.
Rich: Later.
I hated him.
Feeling like I was going to vomit, I hurriedly pushed open the front passenger door of Houston’s matte gray G-Wagon and climbed out to inhale the fresh air. I could feel their attention, but I couldn’t face them yet. They’d know what I was thinking, and they’d make excuses for him.
No, I texted Rich as the smell of embers filled my nose. I want to talk now.
Rich: We will, baby. Tonight. I promise.
Fuck you.
My phone had only just confirmed the text was delivered when it started ringing immediately after. I stared at Rich’s name on the screen before turning it off completely and shoving my phone in my crossbody.
I didn’t want to talk anymore.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to do both while murdering Rich for making me feel this way.
And then I wondered how long before Houston and Loren did the same. How long before they slowly and torturously broke my heart into little pieces too?
I felt heavy arms circle my waist, but I fought them.
They tightened just before the point when breathing would have been impossible, and finally, I relaxed. “It’s not what you think,” Houston whispered when he felt my surrender. “He’s not having second thoughts.”
“How do you know that?” I returned flatly. “You’re in his head uninvited too?”
Houston squeezed my waist before turning me around to face him. I couldn’t handle the intensity of his stare that bid me to trust him, so I dropped my gaze to his feet.
Houston lifted chin right back up.
“I know because there’s no such thing as getting over you.”
Feeling the butterflies in my belly take flight, I rolled my eyes instead of melting into him like I wanted. I wasn’t ready to believe him yet. “Jericho will tell you what he’s thinking when he’s ready.”