Nikolai: But you played your part in it, yes
Nikolai: And you’ve been the only one unwilling to try to fix it
Nikolai: I love you but I guess my answer is yes
Yes?
I was trying to protect Walker. I just wanted to be there for Hayden.
I tried.
And this is what happened.
It’s not my fucking fault.
It’s not.
Right?
15
Reid
“Ithought I’d be walking home tonight, seeing how you stormed off like a child earlier,” Penny says by way of greeting as she swings open the car door. She tosses her purse in first and it lands with a loud thunk. Christ, what does she carry in that thing?
She slips into the seat and buckles her seatbelt.
My knuckles turn white against the steering wheel but I don’t rise to her bait. She raises her brow in surprise at it.
“You done with your tantrum then?” she teases and pokes my shoulder as I pull away from the curb.
“Guess so,” I answer, sarcasm thick in my tone.
“Good.” She settles back in the seat with an exaggerated sigh. “I didn’t feel like walking tonight.”
“I wouldn’t let you walk.” I glance over at her. “You should know that by now.”
She purses her full pink lips and turns her attention out the window to the passing city.
“How was work?” I ask.
“Uneventful. It’s been a slow few weeks, and I think Kevin’s getting worried that it’s not just a lull but a more permanent thing. The vintage shop next door closed down a few months ago, and since then we’ve been the last one’s standing in this strip.”
I hum in agreement. “Area’s pretty dead.”
“Yeah.” She chews on the inside of her cheek and fiddles with the ends of her long hair. “Where’d you go today? You seemslightlymore relaxed than before.”
Well, my shoulders don’t feel as though they’re made of stone and stuck up to my ears, so I guess I would agree. “I went to go see my old manager.”
“Like your band’s manager?”
“That’s the one.”
“How’d that go? Do you see him often?”
I shake my head and flick on my turn signal as I pull up to a stop sign. “Not anymore. But I saw him at the party and…I don’t know.”
Penny’s quiet but I can feel her eyes on me as I keep my attention ahead on the road. She doesn’t pressure me or pepper me with more questions. Her silence is the space I need to process and think about what I want to share.
