I shake my head, chuckling. “Don’t bother,” I sigh. “It doesn’t matter, anyways. I don’t plan on speaking to him again.”
Fallon nods solemnly. “I’ll ask Gray if he can remove him from the IT unit,” she grumbles. “So you don’t have to see him every day.”
My chest aches at the thought of not seeing Theo every day. Of never again looking up from my computer to see that charming smile in the doorway. Of never hearing that chair screech across the floor again or seeing those big boots up on the corner of my desk as he reclines back. It’s for the best, though. I let him in, and he hurt me. I’m not sure I could ever forgive him for leaving me on the side of the road. The way I see it, when he drove away tonight, he drove out of my life.
“Good,” I mutter. “He can take those big dumb boots and those sparky hands and go torment someone else.”
Fallon furrows her brow, tilting her head. “Sparky?”
“Yeah,” I snort. “It’s like the guy stuck his fingers in an electric socket or something.”
My sister stares at me, chewing her bottom lip like she wants to say something.
“What?” I ask.
She just shakes her head. “Nothing, I just…” she pauses, shakes her head again. “Nevermind.”
I heave a sigh. “I just wish I could stop thinking about the kiss.”
Fallon smiles sympathetically. “Was it that good?”
“Frickin’ fireworks.”
She shoots me that strange look again. Pauses. Considers.
“I’m sure it’s just because he’s had so much practice,” I grumble.
“Maybe,” she replies quietly. She still has that funny look on her face. “I mean… is the door completely closed?”
“What?” I choke. “What happened to you wanting to punch the guy?”
She chuckles softly, leaning in and draping an arm over my shoulders. “I mean, I still wanna punch him. Nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it.” She winks, pauses again. “But if you really like him, if you wanna give him another chance… well, I’d support you.”
Okay, this is totally out of left field. I just stare at Fallon incredulously, trying to figure out what her angle is here. She’s never been a fan of Theo. Is she just trying to play the supportive sister because I already said there’s no way in hell I’m speaking to him again? Or has being with Gray turned her into some sort of hopeless romantic?
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. The guy stranded me twice. As far as I’m concerned, this was his second chance, and he blew it.”
My sister presses her lips together, nodding. “Got it.” She scoots forward, pushing up to stand. “Listen, why don’t you stay here tonight? You were going home this weekend for the run anyways, weren’t you? I can drive you tomorrow morning.”
Dang, I totally forgot about the full moon run. Our pack gets together every month to run under the full moon together- it promotes pack bonding, and if you’re over eighteen, the full moon’s the only chance to find your fated mate. My wolf won’t abide being kept in during the full moon- I have to let her run. I haven’t missed a full moon run with my pack since I was old enough to start participating. Even after I joined the squad and moved to the complex, I’ve gone back home for every run.
I heave a sigh. “I appreciate the offer, Fal, but all I wanna do right now is lock myself in my room and work on my program. Get my mind off of everything.” I stare down at my lap, fiddling with the silver zipper pull on the jacket that Theo bought me. I feel the sting of tears forming behind my eyes again and I force them back, looking up at my sister. “Dad’s picking me up in the morning anyways.”
At least I’ll be able to get away, even if it’s only for a couple of days. The squad members that don’t return to their own packs for the run join Gray’s in Goldenleaf. That’s where Theo will be- he never goes back to Summervale to run with our pack- so in going home for the weekend, I’ll be able to get far away from him, too.
“You sure?” she asks.
I nod, scooching forward and reaching out for her. She extends an arm and I take it, pulling up off of the couch to stand. Fallon immediately wraps her arms around me again.
“I love you, Brookie.”
I swallow hard, winding my arms around Fallon to squeeze her back. “No matter what.”
She offers to drive me back to the complex and I take her up on it. I hop out of the Jeep at the gate, waving goodbye over my shoulder and heading inside. Then I go straight to the barracks, passing Theo’s room on the way to my own. I stop in front of his door, shrugging off the jacket he gifted me and hanging it on his doorknob. As beautiful as it is, I can’t keep the jacket- not when such a painful memory is now attached to it.
I’m still so angry, so hurt- all I want to do is forget about this horrible night, lose myself in lines of code. I lock myself in my room, pull out my laptop, and flop down on my bed. Start combing through my program code.
Hours pass, and my mind gets a much-needed reprieve from obsessively replaying that nasty fight with Theo. I get to the point where I’m no longer angry, no longer sad- I’m just numb. I finally start to get drowsy and head off to the locker room to brush my teeth and wash my face before bed.