A solid ten seconds of silence followed this. “You’re fucking with me.”
“I never joke about orgies.”
Before she could spiral, I filled her in on the details as Phoebe’s voice drifted in from the bathroom, singing a song I didn’t know. In this unfamiliar hotel room with a stranger staring at me in the mirrored ceiling, my best friend and my sister kept me tethered to the ground. I was okay. And not only that, but my dad was out there somewhere watching us embark on this journey.
“So…” Arden trailed off, her voice dipping with uncertainty. “You’re staying? And you’re cool with it?”
I let out a breath, watching my reflection in the mirror blink slowly. “Yeah.”
“Thank god.” I swore I could hear her collapse onto her bed, springs creaking underneath the relief. “I kept picturing you in that car like a hostage. You’re so stubborn.”
I smiled and leaned on my elbows, legs crossed, ready for an Arden Rant.
“Stubborn,” she repeated emphatically, and I knew she was gesturing with as much gusto. “And honestly? Thoughtless.”
“Thoughtless!”
“It’s one thing to investigate a letter. Find the writer, return it, deal with a few consequences. Like, yeah, I was all in, too. But that wasn’t enough for you. You had to throw in a cross-country road trip with a total stranger. Because of the stubbornity!”
“That’s not a word,” I pointed out. Even while calling me batshit crazy for going on this trip, Arden had handled me with care until now: Life couldn’t be normal until she unleashed her unfiltered opinions about my life, and here, finally, the dam broke.
“It’s as good as!” she shouted with conviction. I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh. “I thought you were out of your mind! Certifiable! I asked Noah if we should step in and put a stop to the madness. But he was all, ‘Nah, let’s see how it goes.’ As if it was nothing. As if your life isn’t nightmarishly intertwined with mine. What an insult. He’s on my list too.”
“How long is your list?”
“Stopenjoyingthis,” she snapped. “It’s not funny. I was sick. I thoughtyouwere sick. I thought I was indulging a sick person’s whims.”
“It’s notnottrue,” I said. She growled. “Let me have it, Arden. I deserve it.”
“I can hear you smiling.”
“I’m not. I’m cowering. I’m curled up in the fetal position, near tears. Please don’t yell at me. I can’t take it.”
“I wish Dexwasa murderer,” she grumbled. I rolled onto my back, smiling at my reflection. Slightly more familiar, like someone I knew in a past life. Like maybe I could know her in this one.
The rant went on for another ten minutes, but I put an end to it when Phoebe returned. Her cheeks were rosy, both from the sun and the shower, and she wore pajama shorts, a tank top, and hotel-supplied slippers two sizes too big for her feet. Shegushed about the water pressure and the heart-shaped tub for a solid three minutes and then passed out against the dozen throw pillows decorating the bed. Had to be the first time she fell asleep at a decent time… well, ever.
Then, I cried in the shower, more out of relief and exhaustion than grief. By the time I emerged—clean, moisturized, and comfy in shorts and a big tee—Dex had returned and set up two makeshift beds on opposite sides of the room with thick, soft-looking blankets that definitely didn’t come from the five-dollar throw bin.
“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice low. Dex didn’t bother looking up from where he rummaged through his bag. “Thanks for getting blankets.”
He grunted, probably pissed that I insisted we take this room and sleep on the floor rather than driving a mile to the next hotel.
“Dex.” I winced against the silence. “You’re mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
“You’re so mad. You’re stabbing me with your mind right now.”
He stood up and faced me. I expected daggers, something similar to that day we showed up at Sequest, but there was no anger there; he simply looked exhausted.
“I’m not mad,” he repeated, keeping his voice low with Phoebe sleeping a few feet away. “I’m done.”
My heart dunked into my stomach. “What?”
“It’s too much.” He wiped a hand over his face. “I’m thinking we head back to Boston first thing.”
“No.” The word flew out of me in a gasp. “Dex, we can’t.”
