I want to follow him, to tell him how much I care about him. That I’ve missed him, and I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for him, and I’ll do anything to make amends, but the door has slammed shut, and Ethan is gone.
The silence that follows is deafening.
I break free of Rafael’s hold and run outside, but Ethan’s already biking away.
I blink rapidly, tears streaking my face as my breath comes in ragged gasps. I walk back in and sink down onto the couch, cradling my head in my hands.
Rafael sits beside me, his hand resting on my back.
“No!” I shout, pulling away. “Why did you stop me? You had no right to do that. He feels abandoned, and the least I could do was follow him. But you held me back! Why did you hold me back?”
“Scarlett, breathe—”
“Why did you do that?” I insist, my voice turning even more hysterical.
He watches me, lips parted. “Because I didn’t like how angry he was. It… it scared me.”
I sniffle, my anger deflating as I watchsomethingflash through his eyes. Scared? Why was he scared?
“I’m sorry,” he says.
I grab a tissue, weakly shaking my head. He was just trying to protect me, as misplaced as his worry was. “It’s okay.”
“In that case, I’m not actually sorry.”
I roll my eyes. I’m not at the stage of joking about this yet. “What… what was he talking about? Virginia? I don’t understand.”
A deep sigh. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out.”
“I need to— I have to…” My voice cracks, and I look around helplessly.
His hand rests on my knee and squeezes. “Water?”
“No.” I know Ethan’s not the same eleven-year-old who was taken away from me, but the thought of him riding his bike alone, at night, when he’s that upset… Ineedto do something.
“Want to drive around and see if we find him?” Rafael asks.
“Would you really?” I ask, sniffling.
“You call him, I drive,” he says with an encouraging smile. “Let’s go.”
the problem[trope]
the unavoidable complication that stands between the protagonists and their happily ever after; often manifests as a sudden breakup, an ex showing up at the worst possible moment, or an unexpected plot twist
“Okay, Grandma. Sorry to wake you,” I say before she hangs up, as Rafael parks outside The Oak. We drove to Wethersfield and back, went around in circles for a while, but Ethan was nowhere to be found. He won’t answer his phone, so I had to call our grandparents.
They werenotpleased.
I follow Rafael inside and ignore the worried look in his eyes. I need a drink. A strong one that’ll put the buzzing in my brain to rest.
“I’ll have a whiskey, please,” I say once we approach the counter, trying to sound sure of myself.
Sitting on the stool, I meet the bartender’s eyes and realize I’mtalking to Quentin, becauseof courseI am. Not that I shouldn’t have expected it. He started working at The Oak the moment he graduated from high school, and I strongly suspect he’s been here every day since.
“Neat? On the rocks?” he asks, his eyes darting to Rafael before they settle on me again.
My mind races, as though the choice actually matters. I read somewhere that whiskey neat is a “serious” choice, didn’t I? “Uh… neat.”
