“No, I need to see him.”I push back from his hands and slide by him.
“You don’t.”
He’s so steady right now, and I hate him for it even though I know that’s not fair.
“Excuse me?”I whip around and glare at him.
“Forget what I said.”
I throw my hands in the air.“I don’t understand.How has this happened?”
The tears I’ve been pushing back flood out of my eyes, cascading down my cheeks.I look at Easton and shake my head.
He wraps his arms around me.“I know… but we’re going to get through this.It’s not going to be easy, but nothing changes here, you understand.”He draws back, his eyes meeting mine.“Us.”He waves his finger between us.“The three of us… nothing touches this.”
The only thing that’s ever helped is leaving.
His arms tighten around me, and I close my eyes.
For the first time in my life, the instinct to bolt feels like the wrong one.I don’t want to leave.I want to stay exactly where I am.
The buzzer rings.
My eyes snap open and meet his.
We both know who it is.
“Don’t answer it,” I whisper.
He looks at me for a long moment.“Remember… nothing touches this.But we’ll never get back to where we were without seeing this through.”
He presses the button that invites her into our lives.
ChapterFifty-Six
Hadley
Idon’t know what I expected.That she’d come through the door with horns and giant fangs?Maybe green skin to showcase the monster she is?
Honor should look different now.Not like her, still in her black dress from burying her grandma.
Easton holds the door open, but she doesn’t step in right away.Her hair is still pinned up, but her eyes are red from crying.And I hate the feeling that still makes me want to help her through this.Like the friendship between us is still there.It should have been shattered into a million pieces.
She steps into the condo, and I instinctively draw back.
Easton closes the door behind her and steps back, giving us the room.I’m grateful for that and furious at the same time because I don’t know what to do with this much of a chasm between my best friend and me.
Neither of us says anything.
Honor’s eyes fill, and she presses her lips together the way she does when she’s trying not to cry.The same expression I’ve seen thousands of times.When she would tell stories about her mom leaving or how overwhelmed she felt when her grandma first got sick.
Don’t, I think.I cannot feel bad for her.
“Why?”My voice comes out steadier than I feel.
She glances at her feet.“That’s a hard question to answer.”
“Why don’t you guys sit?”Easton says.“I’ll get some waters.”