"Yeah, the east corner of Fern and Lantern," Blythe says.
It's only a couple of blocks, but an awkward silence in the car. I pride myself on my brutal honesty when it comes to hookups, but I wonder if maybe I fucked up with Blythe. We hooked up more than once, and then I asked her to stay for breakfast just to piss Saige off. I invited her to our party afterward, too, but I didn't fuck her, even though I could tell she wanted to.
I might have given her the wrong idea.
"Thanks for the ride," Blythe says as we pull up to the apartment complex. "I hope your sister is okay."
She reaches for the car door handle, but I stop her before she gets out. "Wait a second."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Um, this is kind of awkward." I huff, running my hands through my hair the way I always do when I'm uncomfortable. "But I just wanted to say that…if I led you on in some way, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional. I try to be honest, but I realize I may have done some things—unintentionally—that gave you the wrong impression. I didn't want to do that."
Her lip turns up as her face shifts from a look of concern to one of genuine confusion. "Elias, what are you talking about?"
"I don't know. I just—"
"That's not why I called you. I mean, you're cool to hang out with in microdoses, but…I'm not in love with you or anything, Elias. In fact, you're one of the most unserious guys I've ever met. No woman in her right mind would ever take your attention seriously. No offense—you just don't have anything to worry about there. You're not givingboyfriend materialin any way. You convey yourself perfectly fine."
"Oh…okay, good."
But that didn't feel so good. It felt like a fucking insult.
"Look, I picked you for a reason, and that's the reason. I have a boyfriend, Elias. He's going to school in London, so we're in an open relationship. I only sleep with unserious guys. It's less messy that way."
I nod. "Got it."
"Oh, and…if Saige needs someone to talk to, my sister is a substance abuse counselor on campus."
God damn it.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Thanks. I thinkshe's fine."
"All right, I'll see you later," she says as she gets out of the car.
"See you around, Blythe."
I spend the short drive home going over the interaction in my head, trying to put my finger on what part of it bothered me so much. She told me what I wanted to hear, so why is it picking at something in the back of my brain?
I pull into the driveway, park the car, and enter the house, resetting the alarm before heading upstairs to my room.
When I open the door and step inside, I find the bed empty, and my heart sinks. The alarm didn't go off, so she must still be inside. I'll check her room, and if she's not there, I'll have to assume she's with Dax.
But just before I leave the bedroom, I notice the light on in my bathroom, the door just barely open.
I knock softly. "Saige?"
When I push it open, she's on the floor, hugging the toilet.
"Are you okay?"
"What do you care?" she says before retching again.
I kneel behind her and hold her hair back.
"Get off me," she slurs once she finishes throwing up.
I let go of her hair and sit with her on the tile floor, leaning against the back wall. "I wasn't on you."
