Page 16 of After All

With Carter. Flat tire. Talk later.

Suzette

Reeeeeallly? ;) Have fun, bestie.

Amelie

You can’t see me, but I just rolled my eyes at you.

Suzette

How did I know? :) Love you!

Amelie

Love you.

Carter slides behind the wheel, and I tuck my phone away. “Okay, she knows I’m with you, so if I end up dead…or worse…she’ll know it was you.”

“Or worse?” he asks with a chuckle. “What’s worse than dead?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m sure there’s something.”

The sound of his laugh echoes against his window as he looks before pulling onto the road. “Probably so.”

“Where are we going?”

Carter’s hand reaches across the center console and rests on my thigh. “Where do you want to go?”

“I–” I blow a raspberry through my lips and rest my head against the seat behind me. “I have no clue.”

“Let’s just ride, then, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Chapter 11

Carter

“Can I have my phone back, too? I need to text Charlie.”

“Why?” she asks.

“He’ll want to know why you’re not there when they get done. He’ll see his phone as soon as he comes off the stage. I don’t want him to worry, either.”

She lifts up on one hip and pulls my phone from her pocket. “I’m sorry. I completely forgot it was there. I wouldn’t have left with it if I’d known.”

I smile at her. “It’s perfectly fine. At least I’d have had something to find you after you bailed.”

“This isn’t a fairy tale, Carter,” Amelie says with a half smile while tears glisten in her eyes.

“Never said it was. Just glad I’d have had some sort of tie to you after tonight.”

She stares at me, seemingly unsure of what to say as I type out a quick text to her cousin, the one who asked me to speak to her and make her feel welcome.

I don’t think this is what he had in mind.

And I hope he doesn’t take all of this the wrong way.

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