I cried harder, wanting to scream at him to stop being so perfect. I didn’t deserve it.
He helped me up and walked me to his car, promising to give Nina my keys during the lab they shared in the afternoon.
I watched him for a while as he drove, concentrating hard on the road as I gave directions to my brother’s place. Every left and right turn he took, bringing me farther away from his apartment, was a reminder to us both of how I’d broken us. A reminder that we couldn’t go back to the way things had been.
“This one up here?” Zayn pointed to the driveway littered with cars.
I nodded, and he parked his red Tesla at the end of the driveway, keeping his eyes fixed on the steering wheel.
For a few minutes, our breathing was the only thing breaking the silence, but my head was ready to burst, and so was I.
“I’m sorry I hurt you.” My tiny words filled the car like a scream. “You have to know, I never meant for that to happen. But in two days, you went from being everything I looked forward to at the end of the day to not being in it at all. I don’t know how to do that.”
Zayn let out a long breath and shook his head. “This is the only way I can handle being around you, Avy—” He stopped himself from calling me my usual pet name—Avy baby. “Avery.”
I flinched at the way he’d enunciated my name, like it was foreign to him.
“It hurts to breathe the same air as you right now,” he whispered.
I took that as my cue to leave, my fingers fumbling for the door handle. My head and my heart were working together to bring me the worst kind of pain, and I couldn’t hold back the lump in my throat climbing its way to the surface.
Hot tears sprang from my eyes as I hurried toward the house.
Danny was picking at the strings of his guitar on the porch when he saw me. He stood slowly. I could see the confusion on his face morphing into something severe.
“Is that, that Zayn motherfucker?” His piercing blue eyes darted over to the Tesla, and then he brought his fingers to his mouth, whistling so loud that my bones rattled.
“Ouch,” I cried, covering my ears.
Seconds later, thundering footsteps made their way out the front door.
Milton, Liam, and Nikko all looked like they were ready for a fight. I’d thought only animals had mating calls, but four men stood in front of me like they were shielding their property from another predator after hearing that whistle.
“No one messes with a Fox.” Danny’s eyes darkened with a grin.
9
Avery
“What are you going to do? Beat him up?” I snorted.
Danny being defensive was humorous, but when he stepped off the porch with his shoulders squared and Nikko and Milton in tow, all humor vanished.
“Wait, really?” I asked in disbelief, trying to sidestep Liam.
“Let them take care of this,” Liam said, holding his arm out.
I pushed his chest, but he didn’t budge.
“There’s nothing to take care of,” I said, ducking under his bicep. I was able to wave Zayn off just before the three of them made it to his car.
Danny and Nikko threw their arms up at his taillights in disappointment.
Liam shook his head. “You should’ve let him suffer.”
Suffer? Oh, I was doing enough of that already.
“Why do you always have to ruin a good time?” Danny shouted from the middle of the driveway.
