The thought alone makes my stomach roil in protest and I wrap my arms around my middle.
That would only make it spread.
Tears crest my lashes, and when I hear keys jingle in the lock, I jolt upright.
I shouldn’t be here. I should have—
“Aw, hey, Em.”
The smile on Hatley’s face makes my mouth go dry.
“I didn’t do anything.IswearIdidn’tdoanything.”
He blinks at me, his smile dropping.
“Okaaaaay,” he drags out. “Where’s Ten?”
My heart pounds in my chest.
“Your room,” I whisper and ball up tighter. “I just covered him up. That’s it, I swear.”
Hatley steps closer, his hands held up in surrender. “I believe you, Em. But … why are you crying?”
The inhale stutters in my chest as I suck back a breath.
I didn’t even realize it.
Swiping away the wetness from my face with my shoulder, I pull my legs up and hug them.
“H-he doesn’t know … that I saw him.”
“Was he jacking off again? Little fucking voyeur.”
“What?” My face heats though I don’t know what that second part means. “No!” Hatley snickers and drops his hands. “He was … trying to change, I think. A-and fell before he could get his shorts up.”
He bristles at that, his face slipping. “He’s not hurt, is he?”
My shoulders shake when I shrug. “I mean, yeah. The fight wi—“
Hatley takes off at a full sprint down the hallway and my heart pounds so hard in my chest, it feels like it’s going to stop.
“Jesus, fuck me,” Hatley mutters from the bedroom and it sounds an awful lot like … relief lacing his tone. “He’s justasleep.”
There’s some grunting and a few curses thrown around before Hatley comes back out into the living room and flops onto the couch beside me.
My head is already inside my hoodie.
Tristen’s hoodie.
The scent of dirt and sage thick around my face.
“Lemme guess.” He shifts next to me and pants like he ran all the way around the house before coming back. “He looked like a zombie—” I nod. “—Threw his shit down and went straight back.” His words taper off for a moment like he’s looking away from me and then back.Maybe to Tristen’s jacket on the couch.“Lost his shirt somewhere between here and there and dropped trou like he was the only one in the house?”
I nod again and wipe at the dampness still clinging to my face.
“He didn’t know I was behind him when he did.”
“Em, you sweet fool.”
