“She made it three years,” he continues, his voice light, but his knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. “I’m sure she surprised even herself. My dad would have given up everything here and gone with her, anywhere that he thought she’d be happy. He didn’t understand for a long time that we were a big part of what she wanted to leave behind.”
When he finishes, I’m left with no words—nothing to offer except the empty space between us.
His eyes drift to the windshield before settling on me. “Did that answer your question?”
I nod, but another one lingers. “Do you remember her?”
“No. But I’ve seen pictures. She was pretty in that way a lot of tourists are.” He pauses, then adds, “Pretty like you.”
I blink, caught off guard. “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”
He doesn’t answer and I don’t think I want him to.
“Would you ever want to find her?”
He doesn’t break his gaze from mine. “No.” Then he leans back, making me realize just how close we’ve gotten. “I don’t need to chase after the love of someone who chose, long ago, not to give it to me.”
Twenty-One
Lili
“Lili, Lili! Wake up!”
I’ve always been a light sleeper, the kind of person whose eyes pop wide open in the middle of the night when the neighbor’s dog barks once from inside their house. So when a deep male voice calls my name, inches away from my face, I nearly jump through the roof.
Of his truck
Wren’s sunlit truck.
Oh no.
And I’m touching him, I’m practically snuggled into his side with his arm draped around my shoulders.
In an instant, I jerk back to my side of the truck, pulling the center console back down between us.
In unison, we both dive for our phones. I only have one missed message.
Mom:I’m exhausted and about to fall asleep in here with Goldie. Do you mind taking my room tonight? Oh and I’ll explain about all the towels tomorrow.
I sigh in relief. She doesn’t know I didn’t come home.
Wren, however, is frantically scrolling through his phone, and I’m still close enough to see his screen.
Dad:It’s late. Are you staying at Tate’s?
He opens another conversation.
Tate:Your dad called looking for you. I told him you were crashing at my house. Where are you?
Tate:I’m worried here, man. Did you go back and pick up Eryn? Text me.
Tate:I’m not messing around here. Call me now.
Tate:If you’re dead I’m going to be so mad.
Tate:I’m texting Eryn.
Tate:I made it worse.
