“You belong wherever the fuck you want to belong,” he said fiercely. “Don’t let some asshole make you think otherwise.”
Milo nodded, stepping closer. “And for what it’s worth, I think you understand more than you realize. You felt it today, didn’t you? A little of why we ride?”
I nodded, thinking back to the exhilaration of the ride, the way the bike had responded to our movements, the sense of freedom and immediacy I’d never experienced before.
“Then you get it,” Xavier said simply. “The rest is just details.”
Chapter 11
Xavier
“What are you thinkingabout?” June asked, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest as we snuggled in her bed.
“Nothing important. Just wondering how long it’ll take Milo to come back with food.”
“I can’t believe I ran out of eggs. I need to adjust my online grocery list if you two are going to stay over so much,” she said, then ducked her chin and blushed. “I mean, not that I’m trying to make plans or anything.”
“But you love plans.”
June opened her mouth to reply, but her phone buzzed on the nightstand, the screen lighting up. She glanced at it, and I felt her body tense against mine.
“Ignore it,” I suggested, pulling her closer.
“It’s my parents,” she said, voice suddenly tight. “They’ve called three times already. If I don’t get it, my mom will fly into a panic.” She reached for the phone, hesitated, then sighed and answered. “Hi, Mom.”
I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but I could feel June’s body growing progressively more rigid against mine. Her breathing changed, becoming shallow and quick.
“No, I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” Her voice had taken on a strange, flat quality I’d never heard before. “You don’t need to worry.”
I sat up, watching her face. Her eyes were fixed on a point across the room, her expression blank in a way that sent alarm bells ringing in my head.
“No, I don’t need to come home,” she said. “I love you guys, but the job at Heleonix is just incredible.” A pause. “Because I’m an adult, Mom. I’ve been managing living in Colorado for nearly a year. I don’t need to move back to California.”
I didn’t know much about June’s family, but I didn’t think they had a poor relationship.
“I’m not struggling,” June insisted, her voice rising slightly. “I’m actually doing very well. The Helios project is—” She cut herself off, listening. “No, I’m not isolating myself. I have... people. Friends.”
Another pause. I could see her knuckles turning white as she gripped the phone.
“I’m not having this conversation again,” she said. “I know this is coming from a place of care and worry, but you have to let me make my own mistakes.”
Whatever her mother said next made June’s face crumple, her composure finally fracturing. “That’s not—you’re not listening to me!”
I moved without thinking, crossing back to the bed and gently taking the phone from her trembling hand. She looked up at me, startled, her green eyes wide behind her glasses.
“Hello,” I said, my voice deliberately calm. “I think we’d better put an end to this conversation for now.”
There was silence on the other end, then a woman’s voice, crisp and controlled. “Who is this?”
“Xavier. I’m a friend of June’s. And if you could see her right now, you wouldn’t be pushing her this hard.” I sat on the edge of the bed, keeping my eyes on June, who was now hugging her knees to her chest, rocking slightly.
“A friend,” the woman repeated, skepticism dripping from each syllable. “I wasn’t aware June had made any friends. She tends to forget about socializing if someone doesn’t remind her.”
What the fuck was that supposed to mean? I bit back the surge of anger, forcing myself to stay calm for June’s sake. “Well, she has. Several, actually. June’s pretty amazing.”
“And how do you know our daughter, exactly?”
“We met at a bookstore,” I said, which was technically true. “Look, Mrs....” Shit. What was June’s last name? “Er. Ma’am. I don’t know what’s got you worried, but it’s unfounded, but June is doing great. She’s brilliant at her job—they’ve put her on the team for this huge project. She’s got friends, she’s got a beautiful house, she’s happy.” I glanced at June, who was still rocking, her eyes squeezed shut. “Or at least, she was until this phone call.”
