Page 41 of Next to Everything We Wanted

I moved my foot, only for Dapper to shoot up and glare at me. Had he been sleeping here the whole time, too?

“Sorry, boy,” I said before checking my phone again to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me. Yeah, I’d blacked out for almostsixhours.

Disappointment weighed on my chest. This was supposed to be a two-hour nap, not a full night of sleep. Asher and I were supposed to play video games this afternoon. Why hadn’t he tried to wake me up?

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked Dapper.

Dapper rested his head in his paws as if saying,I have no freaking idea.

“You’re no help sometimes.”

“Gavin, are you talking to Dapper again?” Mom’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door. “Dinner is ready!”

“Okay.” I yawned before getting out of bed.

When I went into the dining room, I noticed Asher had a frown on his face. Guilt pinched at me as I sat next to him.

“You never woke up,” Asher muttered, crossing his arms. “We were supposed to play video games.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” I asked.

Asher’s stormy gaze went to Mom, who sat beside Dad. “Mom told me not to because you ‘needed your rest.’”

“He did need his rest,” Mom said. “You can stay up a little later and play video games after we watch the movie, if you want to.”

“Then I’ll be grumpy in the morning. Like you.”

Mom scoffed. “I’m not grumpy in the morning!”

Dad sighed, scratching his brown beard. “What did I come home to?”

“It’s fine, Chester.” Mom put a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for making these wings.”

Dad gave her a small smile before he said grace and bit into the wings. “Mmm.” He gave us a thumbs-up. “You’re going to love this.”

We took a few bites and agreed with him. The buffalo sauce was a little spicy for my taste, but it gave the wings enough flavor. As I ate, the tightness in my chest returned. I used to love eating what my parents cooked for me. I used to love the fun conversations we had during dinner.

I was still their kid, but I wasn’takid.

“Gavin, are you okay?”

I looked up at Dad, realizing that I’d stopped eating. “Oh, I’m fine.” I swallowed, averting my gaze to the remaining wings on my plate. “Just thinking.”

“Are you sure?” Concern shone in his blue eyes. His were a few shades darker than the rest of ours, holding a different intensity. “Are the wings too spicy?”

“Only a little. They’re still delicious.”

He offered a smile. “Thank you.”

The entire meal was the most awkward dinner we’d had in years. Maybe ever. Whenever my parents asked about things athome, I couldn’t come up with a proper answer. And it didn’t help that Asher was in a bad mood, refusing to look at me.

While we seemed to relax during the movie, I still couldn’t escape the thoughts that ran through my mind or the tugs of longing in my chest. For a moment, I wished I hadn’t moved to Nevada. That I’d stayed home and found a regular job, maybe gone to college like other kids my age.

You can’t think that,I scolded myself.Your life in Nevada was the life you wanted. You worked so hard for it and should be happy.

Though like my relationships, things changed. What if this was another one?

The long drive back home was almost as miserable as my trip. There was an accident, shutting down part of the main road I drove on. Taking a detour added almost an hour to my ride. If one more stupid thing happened, I’d lose my mind.