Chapter 18
18
A pillow hitting my head wakes me up.
“Ouch,” I hiss, rubbing the spot it hit.
“You’re drooling on my pillow,” Essie says from the couch.
“I wasn’t drooling.” I wipe my mouth to check and smile. “But tell me, is it worse to drool or snore? Because, babe, you snore like no other.”
She tosses another pillow at me. “I don’t snore.”
I didn’t plan to fall asleep, but I didn’t get much last night. Thoughts of Essie wouldn’t leave my mind.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her.
Well enough to throw things, it seems .
“Like I was hit by a truck.” She rubs her tired eyes. “It must be the Adrian Annoyance Flu.”
I chuckle. “Or the Adrian Lovebug.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re so cheesy.”
“Do you feel okay to talk?”
This isn’t the best timing, but I need to let it out. If I don’t, I swear I’ll explode. Every day we don’t have this talk, regret eats at me deeper. We both deserve for her to hear my truth.
She rolls her neck and shoulders, avoiding eye contact. “Talk about what? ”
“Why I disappeared.”
“What if”—she picks at a loose thread on the throw pillow—“I don’t want to know?”
“Why wouldn’t someone want to know why they were ghosted?”
“You admit it, then? You ghosted me?”
Shit, wrong word to use.
And who the fuck says ghosted anymore?
I’m not some teenager on Snapchat.
The air is heavy as we stare at each other.
She waits for me to speak.
“I found something out that made me question everything I’d thought growing up,” I start.
Tension rolls up my neck.
This is it .
What I’ve wanted to say all these years.
I open my mouth, but a loud knock on the door interrupts us.
I groan, turning to glare at the door.
The worst damn timing ever .
Neither of us makes a move.
Another bang on the door, this one louder.
“Essie!” someone yells on the other side. “It’s me!”
“Come in,” she finally shouts.
The door swings open. River and Easton walk inside. I’ve never seen River look so serious, even when his mother showed up early in the morning and he had a girl in his bed in college.
“What’s up, Adrian?” River asks, his gaze suspicious as he glances from Essie to me. This time, he’s not cracking jokes.
“He found me puking in my office and drove me home,” Essie hurriedly explains.
The air is tense.
My body stiffens as no one says a word.
I’m not wanted here.
“What’s wrong?” Essie finally asks .
Whatever it is, they don’t want to say it in front of me.
“Thanks for the help, man. I have it from here,” River tells me.
He’s trying not to be rude, but he definitely wants my ass gone.
My phone vibrates with a text. All eyes are on me as I dig it out of my pants.
Mom blinks on the screen.
I feel guilty when I silence my phone, but I’ll call her back.
If it’s important, she’ll text.
And seconds later, she does.
Mom: Call me, please.
My legs feel weak as I rise and peer at Essie. “I’ll check on you later.”
She nods, a weak smile on her lips. “Thank you for today.”
“See you, man,” River says, patting my back as I pass him.
Easton nods while opening the door.
Whatever the reason they’re here, it’s not good.