I rocked back on my heels, knocked momentarily off balance by the truth in his eyes. “You have?”
He moved forward, hands parted before him, and my world tilted. “I can explain.”
My chin swung left, then right. This was impossible. Wasn’t it? I’d concocted a theory that couldn’t possibly be true. Why was he confirming it?
“I have to go.” I took a play from his book and nearly raced out the door.
I hustled down the sidewalk, clutching the takeout to my chest and waffling between horror and red-hot anger at his audacity.
The night wind blew down my hood and stung my eyes and ears. For the first time in my life, tears didn’t accompany the shock.
I felt unprecedentedly numb.
The first frigid drops of rain fell like bullets from the sky, pelting my hands and stinging my cheeks.
In the distance, thunder rolled.
I swallowed an exhausted moan. What kind of person embarked on a quest for happiness, only to wind up less happy than they’d ever been in their life?
Oh, yeah.Me.
“Emma!” Davis’s voice cracked through the chilly air. “Wait!”
My steps faltered, and I spun wearily to face him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, flipping his palms up in surrender. “I just need you to listen.”
I bit my tongue and waited.
A wicked flash of lightning split the sky, and rain began to fall in earnest. A million tiny drops pinged mercilessly against the darkenedstreet and sidewalk; others caught in halos of light around streetlamps. All combined to chill me to the core.
When Davis didn’t speak, I walked away once more.
He jogged past me and stopped, blocking my path. Rivulets of rain swiveled jagged patterns over his forehead, nose, and cheekbones. His guilty, shame-filled eyes pleaded with me while my heart continued to break. “Five minutes,” he begged. “That’s all I need. At least let me drive you home?”
A gust of wind beat the oversize sweatshirt against my torso, and I wrapped both arms around my middle to hold myself together. “No.” The offer and his stalling drove daggers through my heart. He shouldn’t need more time or the right conditions to speak his truth.
“It’s not what you think.”
I tried to step around him, but he opened his arms like a gate. “Wait! Okay. You’re right. It is what you think, but not for whatever reason you’re imagining. Things weren’t supposed to turn out this way.”
“How can you know what I’m thinking?” I asked, hurt and anger ripping through me. “You can read my mind now? Then go on. Take a guess.”
Davis made a low, growling sound of frustration, and I sidestepped him once more. “I never meant to hurt you. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“What then?” I challenged, stopping after only two steps. “Explain it to me, because I cannot understand.”
Again, he fell silent.
This time I moved into his personal space and tipped up my chin to glare. “Were you trying to make my stay miserable? Did you want me to leave? All those times you offered to help me find somewhere else to stay, was it just to get me out of your way?”
He offered a single stiff nod, and the familiar burn of frustration tears stung my eyes.
“All so you could be in a magazine.” I silently thanked the wind and rain for masking the traitorous quake in my voice.
“It’s a huge opportunity.” He raised his palms again. “I was a coward, and I’m sorry. I thought I could make it your choice to leave. It was a shitty thing to do. I know that, but—”
“But?” I choked on a laugh. “There’s abutto that statement?” I shook my head, falling back enough to catch my breath.
