His tone tells me that Lie isn’t there. I ask anyway. “Lie there?”
“No. Why?”
“I’m not sure whether I should be impressed or surprised that it hasn’t reached you yet.”
“Tell me. What happened? Is he okay?” Cash demands.
“He got into a screaming match in the front yard with his father and ran off.”
“You didn’t go after him?” he asks shrilly.
“In hindsight, that should have been my course of action. Instead, I punched Nason in the face.”
Cash is silent. “If I weren’t scared because my best friend is out there somewhere, upset, I’d be screaming in celebration. You called him?”
“Three times. It goes to voicemail.”
“Should I go out and look for him?”
“No, I think we should stay where we are. Chances are good he’ll come here or there, and I want us to be there.”
“Then what do I do?”
I close my eyes. “I think we need to wait.”
“No. I… I’m going to have Onyx look for him.”
My shoulders relax. “That’s a good idea. Thanks.”
“Call me if he gets there. I’ll call you.”
“Thank you, Cash. He’ll be all right. I promise.”
“I know,” he says. “You’re really good for him. I just… I hate that he’s all alone right now when he needs someone to be there.”
I nod. “Me too.”
Over the next hour, I’m in and out of the freezer, grabbing a bag of frozen corn to keep the swelling down in my hand and continue to call Lie. Maybe he doesn’t have his phone on him. Does that mean it’s stuck inside his parents’ house? I think I’d rather buy him a new phone than retrieve it.
Just as I’m getting ready to dialagain,my front door opens. I slam the freezer closed and round the corner. “Thank fuck.” Dropping my phone on the counter on my way by, I take Lie into my arms. His face is red, blotchy, and tear-stained. He’s shaking, but he’s unhurt.
There aren’t any words I can say to help him through this right now. So I just hold him to me as tightly as I can.
“Can I stay here?” he whispers.
“Forever,” I answer.
His smile against my skin isn’t entirely happy, but he nods.
“I need you to call Cash and tell him you’re all right.”
Lie winces. “He heard about it, huh?”
“Well, yes,” I say and gently pull his face back to look at him. He blinks at me with eyelashes clumped together with tears. I wipe his cheek with my thumb. “You weren’t answering your phone, and I thought you might have gone there, so I maybe inadvertently sent out an alarm.”
He bows his head. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I was worried. That’s all. You’re allowed to run whenever you need to.”
