Chapter 20
TWENTY
GABE
TEN YEARS AGO
I stare at my phone, waiting for a text that isn’t coming. It’s been over twenty-four hours now, and she hasn’t said a word.
Hallie, I’m sorry.
We can go back to how we were. Forget I said anything.
I’ve known my sister’s best friend since we were four years old, and I’ve loved her just as long.
Over the years, I’ve kept my feelings to myself, but recently, something shifted.
Maybe it was the thought of graduation and everything that came after—change, both big and inevitable.
I couldn’t let her move without telling her how I felt.
My brain tried to convince me I was reading too much into things. No way would Hallie Foster love me back. But then I thought about how she would blush when I was around, and the way her smile turned brighter when I made her laugh, and I knew. I knew she loved me, too. She had to.
But I was wrong, and I threw away fourteen years of friendship for nothing.
God, Clara is going to kill me when she finds out. If she finds out. But why wouldn’t Hallie tell her? They tell each other everything, and I’m sure this will be no exception.
Hey, Clara, do you wanna hear how much of an idiot your brother is?
And Connor is going to have a field day with this. He’s the only person I’ve told about my feelings, and he gives me shit every chance he gets.
When my phone buzzes in my hand, it takes me all of one second to realize it’s not her. My body deflates when I see my friend’s name on the screen instead.
Connor
How’d it go?
Ok, considering you’re reading this and not making out right now, I’m gonna assume not well
Very bad actually.
She literally ran away after I said I loved her. Now she won’t answer my texts.
Connor
Damn that’s rough, man. I’m sorry
Me, too .
With a sigh, I tuck my phone away. It’s doing me no good staring at it. If Hallie wants to reach out in her own time, she will. I just have to be patient. Part of me wants to drive over to Pops’s house right now and demand that she talk to me, but I know that’s not fair.
God, I’m so stupid .
When I hear the sliding door open behind me, I turn to find my brother crossing the back porch. “What are you doing out here in the dark?” Luke asks. “Mom’s been looking for you.”
I frown. “Why?”
Our mom is usually the first in the family to head to bed. She should be asleep by now.
“Clara’s sad, and she thinks you can cheer her up.”
That instantly puts me on alert. “What happened?”
He shrugs. “Hallie left for school today. You know they’ve been attached at the hip since you guys were little.”
The air is knocked right out of my lungs then. I knew she was leaving. Hell, I was the first person she told about her acceptance to her top choice university in Toronto. But she wasn’t supposed to leave yet. I thought I had more time to fix this.
“Hallie’s gone?”
My brother nods, unaware that his words are having such an affect on me. “She left this morning. Clara has been moping around since Hallie got on the ferry.”
The city is only a few hours away. It isn’t like she’ll be away forever. But Hallie’s gone . She’s gone, and she didn’t even say goodbye.
Dread sits at the bottom of my stomach, forming a pit. She didn’t only flee the beach—she left the island because of me . I never should have said anything. I’ve kept these feelings to myself for this long already. I should have held out, waited for them to fade.
“Gabe? You coming?”
“In a minute,” I reply. Though I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, considering I’m feeling the same way our sister is.
Luke heads back into the house, and the quiet of the night settles once again. I run a hand through my hair, frustrated with myself. Frustrated with her.
“Damn it, Hallie,” I mutter, letting my head fall back. The stars above seem to mock me. “You didn’t let me fix it.”