“You should drink your tea,” I said at length. “Before it gets cold.”
Brevin nodded and leaned forward to retrieve his mug. “I suppose I was lost in memories. Of high school. Do you remember much about the play?”
I nearly laughed. “Of course.”
He sipped his tea and put it back on the table. Then he leaned over to the cupboard in the side table and opened it. When he straightened, he had a string of battery-operated fairy lights in his hand. He turned them on and stretched them out on the coffee table in front of us.
“That’s better,” he said, turning to me. “Because I want you to be able to see my face when I tell you I’m sorry for standing you up at the end of our last school year.”
My heart and my breath stood still. He remembered.
CHAPTER 8
Brevin
The eggshellsbeneath my feet cracked as Chevonne pulled her foot back like I’d burned her with my words.
“Why? Why did you do it?” she snapped, putting her cup down and leaning forward. She winced as she put weight on her injured foot.
“Let me get you a tensor bandage for that,” I said, starting to get up.
“No.” Her eyes blazed, and she’d never looked more beautiful. “Tell me first.”
I sat back in my seat, pleading with my eyes for her to understand. “I had no choice. My parents sent me away. I told them I had to see you, but they didn’t care. They were more interested in getting me to my job interview twenty-four hours in advance, and we had to go.”
“And you couldn’t have called me?” Some of the fight had gone out of her now. She just sounded sad.
“I lost my phone and your number,” I said. “I know that sounds like an excuse, but it’s true. And when I got back onThanksgiving weekend …” This was the part I was unsure of. I’d gone against my instincts, and more than ever before, I regret doing it.
“What happened?” Chevonne asked, still sounding wound as tight as a drum.
“I ran into your friend Tina. She told me under no circumstances should I try to contact you. Ever. She said you’d spit in my face if you saw me again. I realize now I was stupid to listen to her. I really wanted to explain.” But now I was talking to myself, it seemed. Chevonne’s gaze had left my face and I could see the thoughts swirling inside her.
I thought I heard her whisper, “She wouldn’t have.” I waited, knowing I’d shifted blame to a place that had a wall of friendship around it I wasn’t sure my excuse could penetrate. But it did seem to have put doubt in Chevonne’s mind.
“I’m sorry,” I said again after a minute. But she didn’t look at me. She stared into the fire in a way that told me she wasn’t seeing it, but instead, a reel of circumstances was playing through her mind. I’d screwed everything up.
I picked up my mug and took a long drink as I headed to the bathroom with my phone flashlight to guide me, dropping my mug off in the kitchen on the way. I pulled a tensor bandage out of the cupboard and went back into the living room to find Chevonne still hadn’t moved.
Sitting beside her again, I touched her foot. When she finally looked at me, I held the bandage up. “Can I wrap your ankle for you?”
Chevonne shook her head like she was shaking away cobwebs. “Yes. Thank you,” she said, extending her wounded foot to rest on my thigh again.
She didn’t take her eyes off me as I gently pulled off her sock, careful not to twist the joint. It was too dim and shadowy in theroom to tell if her skin was bruised, but I imagined if it wasn’t already, it would be by morning.
“I’ll try to be gentle,” I said, meeting her gaze.
“Thank you. For doing this. For rescuing me and taking such good care of me.”
I smiled at her. “You’re welcome.” I thought about saying it was the least I could do, but I didn’t want to lose her to her thoughts now that I had her back again. “I’m just glad I found you when I did.”
She shuddered. “I can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t. Thanks to you and to Princess.”
The dog didn’t even stir at the mention of her name. I could relate. And yet, I wouldn’t be anywhere else than here.
Chevonne’s toes were still cool now that I had them uncovered, but the rest of her foot was fairly warm.
I started at the ball of her foot, unwinding the bandage as I overlapped the end of it and worked my way toward her heel.
