“Okay. Call me if you need anything, all right? Even if it’s just to chat.”
“I will, mum. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” she said, hanging up the phone.
Rusty took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and running his fingers through his hair.
All of this was a mess, and he’d be glad to have it behind him. Forgotten about. That was the simplest solution to all of this, even if it maybe wasn’t the best.
“A problem, huh?” Blake said, turning over to look at Rusty. His eyes were heavy and his voice thick with sleep, but he obviously hadn’t been quite as dead to the world as Rusty thought.
“How much of that did you hear?” Rusty asked reflexively, trying to remember everything he’d said.
“Enough to know that you think I’m a stupid problem,” Blake said.
He sounded hurt all over again. Rusty had hurt him once last night, and he’d wanted that to be the last time he ever did it.
Now he’dreallydone it. Blake was so much more than a problem, but the only thing his father cared about was that one day, he could throw a spanner in the works.
Rusty didn’t want to turn into his father.
“Blake-”
Blake held up a hand to stop him, and Rusty shut his mouth with a click. He needed to be on his best behavior if he wanted them to stay friends.
And he did. Blake was fun to be around, soothing, a kind soul who was too good for the likes of Rusty.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Blake said, rolling out of bed. “I don’t wanna hear it right now.”
Rusty watched him go, his heart sinking with every step Blake took.
Great. He couldn’t even manage to keep a friend for more than a few days.
What hope was there for anything else?
