Page 113 of Breakaway Hearts

“And not everyone is listening to the same song,” he agrees.

“Why?”

“Because it’s fun to watch, I guess?”

“I mean why did you go to a silent disco when you hate dancing?”

“I don’t hate dancing,” he argues.

We get into a discussion on the merits of different types of dance, and I’m pretty sure he’s just pretending not to be shaken up with the rollercoaster of emotions I put him through this evening, but I love him so much for it. And I vow to do better. To be less of a burden on him. To figure myself out.

Chapter Forty-Four

Owen

A step above acquaintances

Waking up folded into our living room love seat –should have gone for the basement sectional—wasn’t half as bad as finding my bed empty, weighted blanket perfectly folded on my dresser.

“Who pissed in your corn flakes?” Dave comes down and takes out his Frosted Flakes while I glare into my bitter coffee.

“Why are you so chipper?”

“No practice this morning. I slept in,” he says, still smiling. He pours almond milk onto his cereal, then looks at me expectantly. “So?”

“Coach banned me from practice,” I lie. Or at least I don’t give the bigger reason.

“Because you don’t know how to sit back and not aggravate your injury?” Mike asks, while taking eggs and veggies out for omelets.

“I’m as chill as they come,” I argue, then nod when he silently asks if I want some.

“He’s pissed Madison snuck out under the cover of darkness.”

Colt throws me under the bus then goes straight for the pot of coffee.

“First girl you’ve had over since we moved in?” Mike asks instead of bringing up Cami, which I appreciate.

“Hardly,” I argue. “You saw her leave?” I turn to Colt.

“Jason picked her up on his way home,” he agrees. “She told me to wake you so you could sleep in a bed, but you just wanted to cuddle me, so I let you suffer.”

“And definitely first sleepover,” Mike insists.

“Still hasn’t had one,” Colt rectifies.

“Thanks, asshole.”

“Anytime.”

I grind my teeth, then suck it up and ask, “Did she seem upset?”

I should play it cool, like I’m not bothered, but last night felt like we crossed some kind of line she was keeping me behind, then waking up to find her gone—to find out she left last night and talked to Colt but didn’t bother to wake me…maybe I was wrong.

“Kind of jumpy, like she always is. But nice. Worried about you on the couch,” he shares, biting into an Asian pear.

“What are you guys?”

I look to Mike, surprised, but he explains, “Nicole was asking. Tab said you were taken. She thought she was being dismissed, but…”