But in his family home, he’d become a completely different person. He’d been stiff, unfeeling, and missing that love for life he normally exhibited. When we returned to school, he reverted to the man I knew once more. I thought it had been a fluke, just a bad weekend, but after we moved to Charleston together, I realized that the Elijah I met at college was the fluke.
He no longer played the guitar—said he didn’t have time for ‘silly’ things anymore. But that had been one of the things about him I’d fallen in love with. Back then, we had shared our passion for music—the melodies, the lyrics, the rhymes—but now there wasn’t much we shared anymore.
“It’s fine,” I said responding to his apology. I grabbed my clutch. There was no truth to my words, but what else could I say? Escalating this fight was the last thing I wanted to do right now. “Listen, Jade is going to be here in a few minutes. Let’s talk when I get home, okay?”
His eyes narrowed, a clear sign of his unhappiness about my decision to go, despite him wanting me to stay, but he kept any further comments unspoken.Smart man.
“You could always come with us. We used to go see live bands all the time.” Maybe we’d reconnect again and reignite that spark we seemed to have lost. Back to when we couldn’t keep our hands off each other and the world spun around the two of us. It’d been so long since I felt connected with him.
Elijah scoffed, unbuttoning his dress shirt. “Hell no. I’m good.”
He’d answered quickly, proving his priorities. Sadly, I was never one of them. Deflated and defeated, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as Jade honked her horn from the driveway.
“I’ll be back soon. Love you.”
I turned away from him without waiting for a response.
It wasn’t until I walked downstairs that he finally replied, “Love you, too.”
“Hey, girl! Are you excited?” Jade squeaked as I climbed into her car.
Jade was never anything other than who she was. There were items scattered around the inside of her car and it was a little messy, but it smelled just like her. The mingled scents of raspberry and vanilla. The familiarity alone helped me relax.
I couldn’t help but smile. Her vibrant energy was infectious, and I tried to soak up some of her positivity to counter the unsettling way I’d left things with Elijah.
Jade Hardy and I were stepsisters. My dad and her mom married after my parents split. Unfortunately, their marriage only lasted a few years. Despite the break-up, our sisterly bond continued to grow over the years. It didn’t matter that we weren’t related by blood. We were sisters in all the ways that mattered.
Funny enough, my dad had met Jade’s mom in Charleston on one of his business trips. Who’d have guessed I’d eventually move here years later?
“I got you a pick-me-up,” Jade said.
Staring at the unnaturally red beverage in her cupholder, I almost got a contact caffeine high from its nearness alone.
“As good as Code Red is, I gave it up after last time.” Mountain Dew might be delicious, and Code Red was my favorite flavor, but it was about three days’ worth of my sugar intake and it gave me the shakes.
Jade shook her head. “That’s mine. Yours is right here.”
She thrust a styrofoam cup into my hand, and I took it with narrowed eyes. “My mom always told me not to accept an open container from a stranger.”
“Good thing I’m not a stranger. Just drink it, you dork.”
I pulled the plastic straw into my mouth and drank, sipping desperately, like an alcoholic taking their first swig of liquor. Dr. Pepper from the soda fountain. “Oh my god, you’re a saint.”
Jade giggled. “I know.”
As she pulled out of the driveway, I cast a longing glance at my house as we drove away. There was a part of me that secretly wished Elijah would appear at the window, waving or at least watching us leave. Any hint that our brief fight had bothered him as much as it did me.
But he didn’t.
With both cars tucked away in the closed garage and all the curtains drawn, our house felt vacant. An empty shell instead of a welcoming home.
I let out a heavy breath and took another sip of my drink.
Jade glanced my way. “Okay. What’s wrong?”
I didn’t want to tell her. I couldn’t handle her judgment of my relationship or have her blame Elijah. Even when he was wrong, I always felt a deep-seated need to defend him. “Just a little mix-up with Elijah. He didn’t realize I was going out tonight.”
“Aw, he misses you.”
