My heart jumped and I squeezed in next to her, stealing glances behind me every half a second to make sure the coast was still clear.
“What?” I asked, looking for a litter box, food, anything—but not spotting anything of interest.
“The floor.” She pulled out her phone and the message thread we had examined a hundred times. The pictures of Vermont, the first taken on some sort of hardwood floor.
I looked at the picture and then back at the apartment. My heart sank.
“His have a wider panel and are basically gray. They look nothing like the picture,” I said.
“I see that.” The defeat in her voice made me want to take her home, wrap her into my arms, and never let her leave.
“I mean, I guess technically we can’t see the entire bedroom,” I said, knowing it was a weak point.
“It just looks so lifeless,” she said. “I doubt Vermont would just be holed up back there.” She tapped on the window a few times, as if the sound alone might draw him out. I caught her hand and gently pulled it away. Then I climbed back up to street level and reached down to help Hazel up after me.
“We need to get out of here. We’ve pushed our luck enough,” I said, pulling her further down the sidewalk, away from the apartment.
“Okay.” Her eyes were glossy. She looked crushed—heartbroken, even. The sight of her like this drove me mad with frustration. I needed to make her smile again. I wanted to fix this for her, more than anything. I wanted to see who she was without all the grief, the weight, and the sadness dragging her down. I wanted to set her free.
“Hey.” I hooked a finger under her chin and pulled her gaze up to meet mine. “It’s going to be okay.”
“You can’t promise that.” She gave me a half-smile. “And with my luck, it probably won’t be.”
“Whatever happens, you’ll get through this. You’re stronger than you should have to be.”
Silently, I begged for the wetness in her eyes to retreat. Seeing her cry again right now would gut me.
She sniffled before surprising me. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my middle, her head pressed against my chest. It took me a second to react, but when I did, I placed one arm around her waist, and the other around her shoulders so I could cradle the back of her head in my hand.
“I’ve got you. You’ll get through this,” I said into her hair. Because at least that Icouldpromise her.
She laughed softly against me. “I don’t know if I believe you, but for some reason, when you say it, I feel better.”
“Good,” I said.
We stood there, locked in an embrace for a few more seconds. I didn’t want to be the first to step away. When she finally loosened her grip, I forced myself to let her.
“We’ll figure this out. We’re not giving up.” I gave her hand a squeeze. “Whatever happens, I’m right here. We’re in this together.”
She offered me a small smile and looked at the ground before meeting my eyes again.
“Reid?”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t say that to me unless you mean it.”
I’d be willing to bet that she had no idea just how much I meant it.
“Hazel? What the fuck?”
Hazel jerked away from me, eyes wide. My stomach sank as I turned, my eyes landing on Paul. He stood there, dressed ridiculously in shorts and a cut-off t-shirt despite it being twenty-five degrees outside. He blinked, slow and uncertain.
“Hey,” she squeaked out, attempting to keep an even, nonchalant voice. I wanted to laugh at how not-casual this was.
At this moment, I was immensely grateful we’d taken at least a few strides away from his patio. Maybe we still looked suspicious, but at least we weren’t caught aggressively red-handed.
Paul’s little friend from the gym the other day was behind him, looking bored.
