54. Blake
BLAKE
The man’s cries are haunting, filling the hospital with his fear and desperation.
I don’t know who he is. I’m guessing Teah’s boyfriend from what Grady was saying.
He seems to really care about her. That look of devastation on his face when he thought she was dead was kind of harrowing.
But man… Grady wasn’t having it.
I’ve never seen him so angry before.
He’s still in love with her.
It’s obvious.
And it’s taking everything in me to keep my emotions in check.
Leaning back against the hospital wall, I watch Grady calm Teah’s father. His voice is so soft and soothing. I love it. I love how deep it is.
I watch his lips move but can’t hear what he’s saying.
Keeping my distance seems like the right thing to do. A moment later, Teah’s mother comes out of the room. She’s crying, tears trickling down her face as she steps into Grady’s embrace.
He comforts her, too, and it’s becoming clearer by the second.
He’s part of this family.
He belongs with them.
Teah may have broken it off, but it’s clear her parents would much rather have their daughter with Grady than the guy with all the piercings.
Grady Newman is the stable one. The sensible choice.
He’s my choice, but that’s not up to me now, is it?
Biting my lips together, I shuffle quietly down the hallway.
Grady’s still caught up in conversation and doesn’t notice me slip away.
That’s a good thing.
It’s probably best that I quietly disappear into the ether and let him get on with his life.
It’s better this way.
For him.
He deserves uncomplicated and easy.
All I’ve brought him is lies and secrecy and drama. I’ve potentially destroyed one of his closest friendships, forced him into situations he didn’t want to be in. He got a fat lip rescuing me from a party I shouldn’t have been at.
I even made him sleep with me when he didn’t really want to.
What kind of bitch does that?
He deserves better than me.
So I’m just gonna go. The only person who can figure out my life is me, and I shouldn’t be pulling Grady into that just because I’m too weak to deal.
Slipping out of the hospital, I realize I’m still holding Grady’s keys, so I walk back to reception and quickly explain the situation.
The woman behind the desk seems annoyed at having an extra job given to her, but I write a note and tell her that he’ll come looking for them, so she doesn’t even have to move from her chair.
She rolls her eyes and lets me do it. Then I dart out of the hospital and nearly bump into Teah’s boyfriend.
He’s waiting outside, leaning against the hospital wall and smoking a cigarette. He looks agitated. His face bunches into a harsh scowl as he blows a stream of smoke into the air.
Yeah, he really is the opposite of Grady.
No wonder Teah’s parents want him gone. He’s got wild bad boy written all over him.
I gaze at him for a second, trying to figure out his story. Is he as lost as me? Was Teah helping him find his way home? Has she been the same beacon Grady’s been for me?
Obviously sensing my gaze, his head turns in my direction, and I quickly spin away, not wanting to connect with him.
Our two sorry asses standing in this parking lot pitying ourselves isn’t going to achieve anything.
I kind of have to admire the guy for not leaving, though.
He may have been kicked out of the hospital, but I’ve got a feeling he’s gonna stand guard outside its walls until they let him back in. Even if it takes all night.
A cold breeze whips across my body and I cross my arms, hunching my shoulders and walking down to the main road. I don’t have my phone on me, so I can’t order an Uber. All I can do is walk and hope I’m going in the right direction.
Thankfully, I end up passing a taxi around the other side of the hospital, and I’m able to wave it down. He drives me back to Football Frat, then has to wait for me while I run inside and get money for him. He’s really nice about it, so I give him an extra-large tip.
When I go back inside, I pause in the entryway, listening for voices.
I didn’t hear any when I rushed in, and I can’t hear any now.
But the door was unlocked.
“Wily?” I call quietly, kind of relieved when he doesn’t answer me.
Creeping up the stairs, I tiptoe to his bedroom door and press my ear against it.
A soft moan reaches me and I cringe, stepping back from the wood and not wanting to picture what must be going on in there right now.
“Yes, baby. That’s good. You feel so good.” Wily’s voice is only mildly muffled by the door, and I shudder.
Yeah, I really don’t want to know what he and Satch are doing in there.
So I rush back to my room and close the door behind me.
The second it clicks, I’m swamped with that horrible sense of claustrophobia again. I can’t stay in this space. I can’t hide under the covers. I can’t be here when Grady finally gets back.
I don’t want to see that look of regret on his face as he takes my hand and softly tells me that he’s so sorry, but his heart belongs to Teah. He thought he could get over her, but he can’t move on.
She needs him more than ever now, and there’s no space for me in his life anymore.
I get it.
I really do.
She’s easy. I’m complicated.
“I should go,” I whisper, gazing around the guest room before jumping into action and snatching my clothes off the floor. Bundling them into my bag, I work at a furious pace, gathering up my stuff.
Darting into the bathroom, I grab my toothbrush but leave my shampoo in the shower. I can restock when I get to where I’m going.
Where’s that?
How the hell should I know!
My insides swirl into chaos as I dart down the stairs, fishing Wily’s keys out of the bowl. I’ll get his truck back to him somehow. He’s not supposed to be driving it right now anyway. It’ll just be a few days. Once I’m settled, I’ll call and let him know, and we can work out logistics.
Stop acting like a crazy person!
I ignore common sense and rush to his truck, throwing my bags in the back. My laptop case topples and falls onto the floor, but I leave it, wanting to get out of here before someone sees me.
Revving the engine, I back out of the driveway and narrowly miss clipping a car parked on the road. Shit, this truck is huge!
Sucking in a breath that’s too shallow, I steel myself and press down on the accelerator .
I have no idea where I’m going.
It can’t be Denver—my parents don’t want to see me right now.
It can’t be Chicago.
Maybe LA? I do love the beaches.
Or maybe New York.
I shake my head, barely conscious of my direction as I weave out of Nolan.
That’s all I know for sure.
I have to get out of Nolan.