Page 94 of Don't Say You're Sorry

He looks at me, his eyes softening when he realizes I’m telling the truth.

“Where do you want to go?” he asks.

I don’t want to go home to my dad and Veronica, and I gave up my and Adam’s apartment soon after I started dating Lauren. I don’t have anywhere to go.

“I’ll stay at a hotel until I find a new place.”

He nods as if he was expecting that, but he doesn’t take me to one. He drives me back to his and Nate’s house, carries my stuff up to one of the empty bedrooms, and tells me I can stay as long as I want, that this is my home now.

I don’t think Nate’s going to like that, but when we go downstairs and find him in the den, he takes one look at me, puts down the TV remote, and says, “You two get the beer. I’ll get the burgers.”

CHAPTER 33

ADAM

PRESENT

I’m drawing in the den when there’s a knock at the door. I put my iPad down and get up to answer it, coming face-to-face with Easton’s ex-girlfriend for the second time in twenty-four hours.

“Hi,” Lauren says. She’s wearing jeans and a gray hoodie, the sleeves pulled down over her knuckles.

“Um. Hi.”

Just as she did last night, she stares at me. Whatever she sees on my face has her crossing her arms over her chest, displeased.

I blink and do my best to drop the attitude. “Easton’s not here.”

“Good. I was hoping he’d be at practice. I came to see you.”

“Me? Why?”

“I wanted to give you this.” Reaching into her bag, she pulls something out and hands it to me. I take it from her warily, my brows jumping when I realize what it is. It’s one of the drawings I sent to Easton while I was in London. In this one, we’re sitting at the top of the London Eye. I remember looking outthe window and daydreaming about a different reality. A better one. One where he was right there with me. One where we were happy. Together.

I drew the image I saw in my head and mailed it to him. And just like all the other times, he never responded.

“Where did you get this?”

Shame tints Lauren’s cheeks. “I stole it the day I threw him out. I’m sorry. It was stupid.”

I nod stiffly. I don’t like that she took something so personal of his—ofours—but I don’t really blame her. I know what it feels like to love and lose Easton Miller. Even with the burning of his clothes and slashing his tires, she handled it like a champ as far as I’m concerned.

“Thanks for bringing it back,” I say. “I’ll give it to him.”

I’m just about to shut the door when I find her staring at me again. I pause, unsure what to do with myself. Seriously, why does she keep staring at me like that?

“What?”

“You make him happy,” she says.

When I give her a puzzled look, she tips her head toward the drawing.

“Oh, uh, this isn’t real. It’s just my imagination.”

Cocking her head, she narrows her eyes as if she doesn’t believe me. “I saw him last night. Right before he saw me, he was looking at you like this.” She taps the card with her finger.

I glance at it again. In the drawing, he’s looking at me the way he used to. As if I’m the only thing he can see. The only thing that matters to him. He’s looking at me as if I’m his entire world. Fuck air. Fuck water. Fuck sunshine. He’s looking at me as if the only thing he needs to survive is me. Was he really looking at me like this last night?

“Can I tell you something?” Lauren asks.