They were close. Maybe he felt for her in a way he and I could never be. That perfect trust.
Friends.
“Come on, say it,” he urged. “Will, Will, Will…”
She shoved him away, slamming her palm against his face, and Will shoved him next before pulling up his drenched jeans.
Aydin slipped his hand inside Alex’s panties, but he had pulled it back out before she could shove him off again.
He held up his glistening fingers to us, showing us how wet she was.
“While you’ve been buried in this,” he told Will, “she’s been sad and sorry.”
His eyes flashed to me, and Will stood there frozen, while Alex quickly fastened her pants.
“It’s plain as day who really suffered during your time apart,” he bit out. “She owes you nothing.”
I couldn’t look up at Will.
And part of me didn’t want to stop Aydin, either, not because he was going after Will, but because he always found a way to make me less entitled to my guilt.
He was like a power-up, which was a weird turn of events, because I thought for sure he would be chaining me to his bed by my neck when we met.
Maybe if I’d grown up with him instead of Martin, my entire world would’ve been different.
>
He left the shower, dropping his wet clothes on the floor and tying a towel around his waist as he walked back into his bedroom. I left my clothes there and walked out, too, throwing Will’s hand off when he tried to grab me.
I wasn’t mad. I didn’t know what was wrong.
I just wanted to get dressed now.
Wrapping myself in a towel, I left the bathroom and walked for the door, but Aydin’s voice stopped me.
“Emory, come here,” he said.
I looked over, seeing him just inside his closet, pulling clothes off the shelves.
He tossed me some red boxers and a black T-shirt, and I caught them, lamenting the loss of my bra on the shower floor now.
The water stopped running, and Will and Alex walked out of the bathroom, wary with their eyes on me.
Will’s eyes dropped to the items in my hands and then back up to me. “Come here,” he ordered.
I darted my eyes to Aydin without even thinking.
“Don’t look at him.” Will scowled at me.
But I remained rooted, hearing Aydin’s calm voice.
“Do what you want, Emory,” he told me. “It’s okay.”
My heart splintered a little more, and I looked away, shaking my head. What I would have given for Will to say that just once. Or my brother.
Someone to guide me. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it from my life since my parents were gone.
If Will or Martin had given me freedom, I would’ve wanted them more. That was all he had to do. He just had to let me come to him. Like the Homecoming dance.