Page 148 of Unspoken Rules

“My car is in the parking garage. I can drive us back, and I’ll drop you at the airport before I come back to see Chris tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

I eat half the food and text Mila to let her know I’m in town but leaving tomorrow. We make plans to hang out later. I should stay with her, but again, I’m too mentally exhausted to even make plans like that.

“Could you drop me off at Mila’s when we leave here?”

“Yeah, sure,” he says, but I hear the hesitation in his voice.

I expect him to question me about staying with him, but he doesn’t. He isn’t pushing it, and that’s good.

Of course it has me feeling bad though, because I know Cole is lonely. He’s going through a lot and just wants someone else in the house with him. Though I’m pretty sure if he’s lonely, he wouldn’t have any trouble finding companionship. Hell, he probably already has.

On the way to Mila’s, I text Westley and let him know what’s going on. Just the basic stuff, but enough that he won’t worry. Since I won’t be at work tomorrow and he seemed concerned about Cole, I want to make sure he knows where I am and that I’m okay. I appreciate him worrying about me.

When we get to Mila’s, I get out without a word and go to the trunk to get my bag. Cole gets out. “You can leave it with me,” he says.

There it is. The reassurance he needs that I’m going to his house tonight and not staying here. I should take my bag and let him know I’ll need it in case I change my mind. But I don’t, because this is Cole and the look on his face is devastating.

“Just need my charger.” It’s a lie. I was going to take my entire bag and hope I accidentally fell asleep, but I won’t do that to him. I unzip the front pouch, pull out my phone charger, and close the trunk.

“Call me if you need anything,” he calls out when I walk off.

I raise a hand in acknowledgment, but don’t look back

He’s trying. For what, I don’t know. To make up for the fact that he’s part of the reason Chris hates me? Same way I feel the need to make up for the fact that I’m part of the reason Chris hates him. Or maybe he is just desperate to not be alone. Don’t know. Don’t have the energy to ask. It also doesn’t matter. I’m going back to Boston tomorrow, and then he’ll be alone again.

When I get inside, I’m grateful to find Mark is not here. It’s not that I don’t want to see him, but he’s high energy and I don’t want to deal with that tonight. I need someone calm. Someone like Mila. Being with her doesn’t take anything from me. We can sit in silence, and it’s never an issue. Mark always has to be doing something. Always talking. It’s just a lot.

Mila and I order food, then get comfortable on the couch and watch a movie. I end up falling asleep. It’s dark when I wake up, and it’s to Mila nudging me.

“Sorry, but your phone is blowing up with messages from Cole.”

I jolt up, grabbing my phone.

Did Chris wake up?

According to the messages, no. At least, it doesn’t say anything about it.

“Is everything okay?” Mila asks with a frown.

The TV is still on. It’s the only light in the room. The second Twilight movie is on. We’d sat down to watch the first, so I guess I slept for a couple hours. This time change always messes me up.

“Yeah, he’s just panicking over me needing a ride.”

“A ride?”

I scrub a hand down my face. “I told him I would stay there tonight so I can grab the rest of my stuff.”

“Oh,” she says, as if she wasn’t expecting me to say that.

“It’s not like that. Not at all. I honestly don’t want to stay there, but I feel bad. And I should grab my stuff.”

She nods, bringing her attention back to the TV. “If you change your mind, you can stay here.”

I get up and stretch. “Thanks. I’m going to head there now. I’ll take the car and leave it with him too. Maybe he can sell it or something.”

She gets up to get the key for me. I hug her tightly, and thank her a million times before I let her go.

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