Page 4 of Where the Darkness Goes

He’s quiet for a long while, but eventually he says, “Well, ever so sorry, but it sounds like you’ll have a second chance when he drops the car off.”

I sway my head to the side. “Who would’ve ever thought little Mark Summers would grow up so well? He was so small back in school. Now he… Well, clearly he works out.”

He gags silently.

I laugh, shoving his arm. “Dude, leave him alone. He’s sweet.”

“Mm-hmm. That’s why you were ogling him. Hissweetness.”

“I wasnot oglinghim.”

“You were ogling each other.” He cuts a glance toward me. “Makes sense. You always were into the teacher’s pets.”

I eye him. “That’s not how I remember it.”

His quick glance my way is pointed, but he says nothing else. We ride in silence for a while as I take in the familiar sights of my hometown. Nothing has changed here, and yet everything has changed. This place is a roadmap of my childhood—the empty lot where I learned to drive, the park where I played with my friends, my favorite Italian place that Mom reserved for the most special occasions, the doctor’s office I visited when I was sick, and the streets Britney and I used to drive down at all hours of the night discussing everything from boys to the future to our parents.

Garrett slows the car before he turns into my brother’s subdivision, and I can’t believe how quickly that went. I’m almost sad to say goodbye to him again.

When the house comes into view, I’m hit with an odd pang in my gut, like missing something that was never really mine. Perhaps it’s because Will isn’t here. It’s funny. Will is my brother and one of my best friends, and yet I’ve only been inside of his house once—the weekend he moved in six years ago.

The few times I have visited, I stayed with Mom, and Will would come there. Now, Mom’s house has been sold to pay for her care, and this is all that’s left.

I know it’s unlikely, but the threat of her making a recovery that doesn’t require facility care and learning that our home is now owned by someone else—that we have no real plans for where she’ll go if that were to happen—keeps me up at night.

As if he can read my mind, Garrett clears his throat before saying, “Are you, um, gonna go visit your mom while you’re in town?”

“She’d kill me if I didn’t.” I look worriedly at the house as something occurs to me, then squeeze my eyes shut. “Oh.Shoot.”

“What’s wrong?” He comes to a stop in the driveway, unbuckling.

I scrub my hand over my forehead, frustration running through me. “I just realized I gave Mark my car keys, which just so happen to be connected to the rest of my keys.” I pause, looking over at him. “Which means I don’t have my keys to Will’s place. Mark does.”

Realization sweeps through Garrett’s features, his dark brows smoothing out, pink lips coming unpinched. “Oh.” He shuts the truck off. “Okay.”

“We’ll have to go back to the shop and get them. I’m so sorry about this.”

He takes his key out of the ignition, clearly still not understanding what I’m saying.

“What are you?—”

“I’ve got a key.”

“Oh.”Well, that makes sense.“Okay. Cool.”

He pauses, hands resting in his lap as he stares at me. A strange look comes over his face, like he’s realizing something for the first time. His eyes go slightly wide, and he appears conflicted, but eventually, he pushes his door open without a word and grabs my luggage from the back seat.

We climb the concrete steps and find ourselves on the large front porch. The space is plain, and Will has made no effort to decorate, but I’m impressed to find it still looks kept up. He’s even repainted the front door, which desperately needed painting when he bought the place.

“Well, thank you again for all of this,” I tell him, reaching for my bags.

“Always happy to help,” he says, sticking a key in the lock. He pushes the door open, and his eyes find mine. Something flips in my stomach, a deep tug like even my muscles want me to step closer to him, but I can’t.

If I do, I’m terrified of what would happen. What I would let happen.

What I mightwantto happen.

“Thanks again,” I stumble over my words, and from the look on his face, he read, highlighted, and notated everything that was just going through my mind. I step into the house backward and move to shut the door, but he doesn’t budge.Why isn’t he leaving?“I’ll, uh, see you around, okay?”

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