Page 108 of The Love You Win

IDK. I think I’m the lucky one.

You two are so cute. GTG, my asshole ex is being a dick. Talk soon.

Can’t wait for you to move here.

Same, girl, same.

Maddox doesn’t call until I’m lying in bed that night. It’s after eleven. I’ve been tossing and turning for an hour. Sleep simply will not come. Which may have something to do with the fact that my eyes keep popping open to check my phone. When it finally rings, I’m so anxious to answer it I nearly drop the damned thing on the floor.

“Maddox, hey. I was so worried about you today.”

There’s a long pause. “My phone died. Sorry.”

Chewing on my bottom lip, I shift onto my side. Is his tone weird? “That’s okay. I’m just glad you’re all right.” I pause for a moment, but when he doesn’t say anything, I plow on, needing to fill the strangely awkward silence. “What happened? You were supposed to come over today before your flight.”

“Something came up,” he says flatly. I wait for him to explain. He doesn’t. My stomach flips uncomfortably.

“Are you… Is everything okay? Did something happen?”

The soft rustle of fabric fills the line. “Don’t worry about me. How was your day?”

The cold tone of Maddox’s voice has my stomach tying itself into knots. I don’t understand why he’s speaking this way. I don’t understand why he seems so reluctant to talk to me. To tell me about his day. Or why he didn’t come over. It has me so out of sorts that I don’t answer right away.

“Tell me about your day,” he prompts again.

My mind goes to Alex showing up out of nowhere. After he left, I made sure everyone knew he was never to be allowed back in the school. I don’t know who let him in, but if I ever see him at Center High again, we’re going to have issues. I’m tempted to just blurt it all out and tell Maddox what happened because he always seems to put things into perspective for me. And, sure, there’s a small part of me that revels knowing that it will probably make Maddox all possessive. Which is hot.

But I’m determined not to throw him off his game. And besides, something is clearly bothering him. I don’t want to add my issues on top of whatever it is.

“My day was long,” I tell him. It’s not a lie. Every hour felt like two. “Otherwise it was fine. Just another day, you know?”

Another day, another douchebag.

Maddox is silent. “Just another day?”

I hum my agreement.

“I’m sure something must have stood out, right? You’ve got to have some kind of story for me.”

My brows knit together. I wish Maddox were here lying beside me so I could read his expression. Because something is up with him. I just can’t figure out what based on the tone of his voice. I clear my throat. “Is something wrong?”

“You tell me.” His voice rumbles through the phone.

“I… I don’t know what’s happening right now.” My lower lip aches from chewing it and my stomach rolls. Whatever is going on, I’m completely lost in the dark. I feel like I’ve missed something important. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Listen, if you don’t have anything you need to talk to me about, I gotta go. The guys are making me go out with them.”

“Oh.” My chest tightens and my eyes fill with tears. “Yeah. Of course.”

I want to demand he tell me what’s going on. I want to ask him why he’s being so short and cold with me.

But I don’t. Because I’m terrified I already know the answer.

It’s why he didn’t take me to the fall festival, despite what he said. It’s why Alex left me behind so easily. Maddox just seems to have come to the same conclusion more quickly.

I’m not good enough.

Know what else I’m not? Brave. Which is why I don’t yell at Maddox and demand that he talk to me. Why I don’t beg him to be honest.

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