I immediately force myself to stop worrying the hem of my sweatshirt between my fingers. “No.”
“Okay,” he says slowly, eyes scanning my face like he doesn’t believe me. “Are you feeling nervous sitting next tome? Because if so, I can see if the flight attendant is willing to—”
“I’m not nervous,” I blurt, an instant lie that betrays me immediately, judging by the way Tyler shakes his head. “Besides, the flight is full. I bought the last seat.”
“Unless you’ve changed completely, Olive, you forget how well I know you.” He says it flippantly, but there’s a slight edge to his voice. A quiet sting that reminds me of exactly what I gave up by stepping away from us. The conversation is tipping toward awkward and stilted territory, fast.
After a beat, I sigh into the fresh cup of Coke that the flight attendant passes over on her route back toward the cockpit, then take a tentative sip, relishing the feeling of the bubbly, sugary liquid coating my tongue. “You’re right. I did forget.”
Tyler blows out a disappointed breath and takes a big swig of his own drink, nearly draining the tiny cup. “Forgot that fast,huh? It’s been less than two years.” His voice is equal parts casual and biting—as if the war on how he should feel right now is wearing on him, too. Cranky Lady must sense the tension, because she yawns dramatically and puts on her headphones and eye mask, snuggling up against the window and leaning as far away from the two of us as she can possibly get, which is not very far when you’re sitting in coach.
When I make no move to answer Tyler, instead staring into my cup of bubbles like it holds the secrets of the universe, Tyler tries again.
“So, Ol—”
“Olive,” I interrupt, firm. “Nobody calls me Ol anymore.”That name only ever belonged to you.But now,Tylerdoesn’t belong to me.
He swallows, clearly thrown off but attempting to recover. “Right. So, how’s Mr.Two First Names?” Jack’s last name being Cameron made this a joke Tyler came up with right before we started dating—one I used to laugh about but now no longer find funny.
“Don’t call him that,” I snap, the bite in my voice surprisingme.
Tyler, however, is unfazed. His mouth quirks up in the corner in his telltale smirk. “Right, sorry, let me rephrase. I meant to ask, how’s that Jackass?”
“Jackis great.” I give him a pointed look when emphasizing his name, but Tyler’s expression is unreadable. “I’m on my way to visit him right now, actually.”
Understanding dawns on Tyler’s face, and he leans back in his seat. “Ah, right. I forgot he went to UH. Heard it’s a pretty great school.”
The mere mention of Jack being away at school causes the fizziness in my chest from the soda to be replaced with something much heavier—panic. Because Tyler just unknowingly reminded me why I’m on this plane in the first place.
The unanswered texts. The unanswered calls. The fear that when this plane lands in Hawai?i and I step off of it and go see Jack, I may not like what I find.
But as quickly as those thoughts flash in my mind, they’re replaced by another. As I watch Tyler fiddle with his headphones, eyebrows knitted in concentration, it becomes crystal clear. I pop in my own headphones in a wordless response.
He can’t know anything about what’s going on. I couldn’t take the gloating if he did, theI told you sothat I rightly deserve to hear but want to avoid anyway.
I can’t question if the decision I made back then was the rightone.
I have to believe that it was.
Chapter Six
“So.” Tyler’s voice interrupts the podcast I’d gone back to listening to, and I pause it in mild annoyance. “How’s Mr.Two First Names doing at the University of Hawai?i?”
I straighten up, narrowing my eyes a little. “I told you,Jackis doing fine,” I reply in a voice that better translates toYou have no right to ask.“Mom said I could start my spring break trip a little early.”
“Ah, Sherri. I miss her.” His tone is wistful, bringing me back to all the jokes they shared over our kitchen table, and the appreciation he had for Mom’s truly out-of-control mug collection. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s fine.”As fine as she can be, for someone who was just broken up with again.Tyler must read it in my tone, because he frowns and sits up straighter.
“Another one?”
My grim nod confirms it. “Another one.”
“Damn.” He sits back and shakes his head, disappointed. “Was it Neil? I was really hoping he was the one for her. They got along so well.”
It’s surprising to me that he still remembers who my motherwas dating a year ago, but then again, that’s Tyler Ferris for you—thoughtful to a fault. I think Mom took our breakup even harder than I did, especially because even though I told her when it happened, I still haven’t told her why. “Yeah. She really was sure he was going to be The One, you know? She spent a whole month fixing her chipped nails every single day, because she swore a proposal was on the horizon. Really thought it was about to happen when he showed up and took her on a surprise dinner date—but it was more of a breakup date.” As soon as the words leave my lips, Cranky Lady gasps in the seat next to us, and both Tyler and I glance her way.
She lowers the magazine she’d gone back to reading in the middle of my spiel, having given up on trying to sleep. “What? That’s too good of a story to pretend I didn’t hear it.”
