After Farley disappeared,I had no choice but to rest. My sleep was fitful and peppered with weird, creepy dreams. I wished Farley had stayed by my side.
But of course he didn't. I'd spooked him badly last night. What was I thinking, getting so close? The kiss was amazing—better than amazing, honestly—but it wasn't worth scaring him like that.
Movement fluttered at the mouth of the cavern. A small bird flew in, then shifted into a man.
"Farley!" I called.
He looked rough. Dark bags hung under his eyes and sweat gleamed on his forehead. He seemed exhausted. Immediately I wondered if it was my fault. Was he up all night because of the kiss?
"Hey," Farley said gruffly.
He wouldn't meet my eyes. My heart fell. I hated this weird awkward tension between us. I just wanted things to go back to how they were before, even if it meant never kissing him again.
"I'm sorry," I said.
Farley frowned. "What?"
"Last night was a mistake. I—" I stopped talking because Farley's face fell as soon as I said that, but I had to get it all out. "I shouldn't have pressured you into kissing me. I'm sorry."
Farley's frown turned into a scowl. "The hell are you talking about, Quinn? You don't have to apologize for shit. I'm the one who has to tell you how sorry I am."
I blinked, baffled by his outburst. For some reason he seemed angrier at himself than he was at me, which didn't make any sense.
"Wait, but you didn't do anything wrong," I said.
Farley's jaw went taut. "I did. And it's time I stopped hiding it." He exhaled and faced me. "Quinn. I've been lying to you."
A strange feeling wormed its way through my stomach.
"When we first met, I told you I knew Mistral," Farley went on. "That wasn't true. I've never met Mistral in my life."
I didn't know how to feel. I wasn't quite angry but I was a little upset.
"But... why?" I asked quietly.
Farley stared at the ground, like he was ashamed to make eye contact with me. "I needed your help to remove my leg band. You were my only option so I made up a story to get you to trust me. It was wrong and I'm sorry."
I was quiet for a while. "Is that all?"
Farley nodded. "That's the only thing I've been lying about."
His expression was raw and open. The statement seemed genuine, too.
"Why did you leave last night?" I asked.
Farley shook his head as if in mental pain. "I couldn't handle the guilt anymore. After we kissed, I was fucking ashamed of myself, Quinn. I flew to the top of the mountain to see if Mistral really was there, because if he wasn't, I'd be a massive asshole. I mean, I stillwasan asshole for lying, but..."
"Wait, you flew all the way to the top of the mountain last night? Is that why you look exhausted?"
He nodded, clenching his jaw. "I did. I couldn't let you down. If Mistral wasn't there, I was going to search for him. And if I couldn't find him, I was going to swear to track him down. That is,ifyou would've had me tag along after my lies."
My jaw dropped. "Farley, you'd do all that for me?"
"I would. I have to."
I laughed, amused by his seriousness. "No, you don't. You don't owe me anything. And by the way, if the only reason you lied was to get your leg band removed, why didn't you just leave after?"
Farley's cheeks tinged with color. He averted his gaze, staring at the cave wall. "I couldn't."
