Page 11

I wake up on Corey’s bed. The smell of the aftershave I got him for his birthday is still lingering on his hoodie, and as I breathe it in, it hits me all over again.

Corey’s dead.

Grief drains through my body as I clutch hold of his pillow and start to sob.

Corey’s been such a huge part of my life for so long.

I can’t imagine a world without him in it.

I may not have wanted to be his girlfriend anymore, but I would forever have been his friend.

The tears keep flowing as I try to cry out all the hurt, and when the door flies open and slams against the wall, it startles me silent.

“You need to stop that!” Dev tells me harshly, taking up the entire door frame with his stature as he stands between it. He’s only wearing boxers, and I swear there isn’t a single space on his body that isn’t covered in tattoos.

“I’m sorry. I just?—”

“What are you doing here, Millie? You weren't even with him anymore. You ended things… remember?” He grips the top of the door in his hand and burns me with his eyes while he waits for my answer.

“I ended things because it was the decent thing to do. That doesn’t mean I didn’t care about him anymore. I love Corey. I just didn’t love him in the way he wanted me to.” I burst into tears again.

“Shut up! I told you to stop that,” Dev growls at me. “ You broke up with him , Millie. A guy who loved you and wanted to give you the whole fuckin’ world. You broke his fuckin’ heart.”

“Don’t say that.” I shake my head, as my stomach feels like it’s being swallowed. I stand up from the bed and make my way toward him, and when we’re toe to toe, I lift my head all the way up and show him that I’m not scared. “How could you say that after what you made me do?”

“I was doing what was best for both of you, not just Corey. You weren’t thinking right. You ended things with him over a stupid, childish crush,” he swipes back at me cruelly. “This is the real world, little girl. A world I tried to protect him from.”

“And look what happened,” I snap back at him. “He’s not here anymore, Dev. He’s dead and all because he wanted to prove himself to you.” I point my finger deep into his chest and notice the veins in his arms bulge as he grips the top of the door, tighter.

“You need to leave right fuckin’ now,” he hisses through his teeth, sounding as if he’s about to lose control.

“Oh, I’m leaving.” I duck under his arm and start heading for the front door. I have no idea how I’m going to get home. I can’t call my parents, it’s late, and they'll already be furious with me. I've been ignoring their calls all day. I guess I could call a cab, but I’m not waiting for it here.

“Wait!” I hear more frustration in Dev’s voice when it bellows from behind me, and my hand pauses before I tug on the door handle.

“How ya gettin’ home?” he asks, his tone slightly softer, and when I turn back around and see him standing in better light, it’s hard not to stare at his body.

“I…I don’t know.” I look up at the ceiling, hoping it will make holding back my tears easier.

“But I’ll figure it out.” Quickly turning around, I move to open the door again, but he storms up behind me, leaning his arm over me to slam it back shut.

I can feel his heavy breaths against my back, and when I slowly turn around again, that bare, tattoo-covered, muscular body is caging me in again.

“You need to make up your mind.” I look up at him, feeling as if my heart is about to beat out of my chest.

“Oh, believe me, little girl, I want you gone, but there’s a sick fucker killing pretty girls just like you who’s roaming the streets out there, and I ain’t havin’ another death on my conscience.

” He closes his eyes and drops his head.

A few strands of his black hair fall over his eyes like they did earlier, and when he uses the hand that isn’t holding the door shut to push them back up, I can’t help but stare at his huge, firm bicep.

“I’ve drunk too much to drive ya home. Guess you're stuck here… Fuck .” He slams his palm into the door so hard it rattles against my back and has my breath catching in my throat.

“So what do you suppose I do?” I fold my arms under my chest stubbornly.

“I don’t know, kiddo.” Dev shocks me when he turns his body, stands beside me, and slides his back down the door till his ass hits the floor. “I don’t know anything anymore.” His voice is weak now, and all his aggression is gone.

“I miss him already.” The words tumble out of my mouth as I lower myself down to sit beside him.

“Me, too.” Dev rests his head back against the door, and the pair of us sit in silence.

“I’m sorry I yelled.” Eventually, Dev breaks that silence. “I didn’t mean to scare ya. I guess I’m just lookin’ for someone to blame other than myself.” His huge chest sags as he dangles his arms over his knees.

“I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have said what I did.

I was just lashing out,” I explain, feeling bad for putting all the blame on him.

Corey was so determined to join the club, nothing could have stopped him.

This past year, I noticed his obsession getting worse.

It must have been what led him to do something so stupid.

“Nothing you said was inaccurate.” Dev’s voice comes out low and raspy. “I just wish I could go back and do things differently. Speak to him, explain myself better instead of just shutting him down, the way I used to.”

“We all have regrets.” I turn my head sideways so it’s facing him, and smile sadly.

Dev looks shocked, maybe even a tiny bit worried, when I take his arm, raise it up over my head, then wrap my arms around his middle.

Dev may be 6ft 5 and built like a mountain, but right now, he looks like he could do with some comfort.

I know I do.

He holds his breath while I snuggle up against him, his arm awkwardly lingering in the air above my shoulders.

I rest my head on his solid chest, and he carefully lowers his arm, using it to scoop me closer and hold me right back.

And that’s how we stay, holding one another and ignoring the silent tears that slip over his cheek into my hair.