“Don’t look at me like that. So I remembered what you like to drink. Big deal.”
And the fact that I like to dip my sandwiches in ranch. But I let it slide. “So, you brought me almost two hours away for sandwiches?”
Thayer shoves a hand through his hair, seeming uncomfortable, and that’s when it hits me. Oh my God. Is Thayer trying to take me on a date? “Thought you might like to go somewhere we could let our guard down.”
“It’s perfect,” I assure him. And it is. It’s so fucking perfect, because this right here is all I’ve ever wanted. To go somewhere and just be without everyone’s eyes on us, picking apart our every move.
Our food comes quickly, and I don’t waste any time digging in. We eat in silence, and even though it feels good to be with Thayer, my guilty conscience gnaws at me. I still haven’t brought up Christian. Or meeting with my brother. Not that I’m doing anything wrong by talking to my own brother, but Grey is a point of contention between Thayer and me.
“I saw Grey,” I say, fidgeting with the tip of my straw. Thayer tenses, pushing his empty plate to the center of the table.
“Yeah?”
I nod. “He wouldn’t take my calls, so I showed up at his dorm.” I lean forward, my elbows resting on top of the table. “He admitted to having an argument with Danny, but he swears he had nothing to do with it.”
“Well, what a relief,” he says, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Now I can sleep at night. Do you know many people who would confess to murder, Shayne?”
I flinch at the word murder.
“I think…” I hesitate, feeling conflicted as Thayer waits in silence for me to spit it out. “I think he’s hiding something from me.”
I wait for him to spit out ano
ther sarcastic remark at the very least. What I don’t expect is for him to reach into his back pocket to pull out his wallet and throw a fifty down onto the table.
“Let’s go.”
Thayer rises from the booth and heads for the door, not bothering to wait for me or to say goodbye to his friend. I follow him out, kicking myself for bringing it up now and ruining whatever this is. Things were good for two whole seconds, and I had to self-sabotage like an idiot. Thanks, Dad, whoever you are.
Thayer’s already in the car when I get outside. I slide into the passenger seat, and he takes off without a word. I stay quiet, letting him process or cool off or whatever it is that he needs to do, leaning my forehead against the cool window. Five minutes later, we’re pulling into an apartment complex. I look over at him in question when he pulls into a spot and throws the car into park. He opens the door and gets out of the car, then ducks back down when I haven’t made a move to get out.
“You coming?”
I step out of the car, closing the door behind me as I take in the tall foreboding building. Thayer heads for the entrance and I follow his lead inside the building, through the lobby, and into an elevator. “Where are we?”
The elevator halts, and we step out into the hall. Thayer comes to a stop in front of one of the doors and sticks a key into the lock. “My place.” Pushing the door open, he gestures for me to go in first.
I step inside, gaping at the modern apartment that’s completely opposite from Whittemore. It’s an open floor plan with large glass windows spanning the entire wall. The living area consists of a single sofa and a TV mounted on the opposite wall. There’s a hall to the left and the kitchen to the right. “You live here?”
He kicks the door shut behind him. “Sometimes.”
“What else don’t I know about you?”
“When did you see him? The day you missed school?” he asks, ignoring my question. I suck in a lung full of air. I guess we’re doing this now.
I nod. “How did you kn—?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You went MIA, remember?” I snap before softening my tone. “And…I was afraid.”
“Of what?” he asks, his eyes void of emotion.
“Losing you,” I say honestly. “I don’t…”
“What?” His dark eyes bore into mine, waiting for my response.
“I don’t want to feel that again. And there’s just so much shit between us, between our families…I don’t see how this won’t end badly.”