Page 89 of Carved in Ruin

Sam leans over to get a better look. “He’s adorable. Do you have more?”

“Oh, I’ve gotplenty.” Mary starts scrolling through an endless gallery of photos of Biscuit.

Our drinks arrive, and I take a cautious sip of my gin and tonic. It’s sharp and fizzy, not as good as what I’m used to, but still nice.

“This isn’t so bad,” I admit, setting the glass down. But there is something bothering me…

What if the alcohol brings back the thoughts I’ve been struggling to shove away since this morning? The thought of how much I missed Rafael, how I woke up surrounded by his scent, as if he’d been right there beside me. It must be my mind playing tricks on me,

“See?” Sam says, raising his beer. “You’re officially not a pub virgin anymore.”

Then Sam’s phone rings.

“Ugh, hang on,” he mutters, pulling it out of his pocket. “Hello?”

He listens for a moment, his expression shifting from mild annoyance to outright panic. “What? Oh, no. No, no, no…”

Mary and I exchange worried looks.

“What’s wrong?” Mary probes as Sam lowers the phone.

“My neighbor,” he says. “Apparently, there’s a burst pipe or something. My whole apartment floor is flooded.”

“Oh, crap,” Mary says, wincing. “What are you going to do?”

Sam rubs a hand over his face. “I don’t know. I guess… find a cheap motel for the night? God, I don’t even know if there’ll be any rooms available on such short notice.”

There’s a tremor in his voice and I can see the tears welling up in his eyes. My heart clenches.

“I wish I could help,” Mary sighs. “But my dorm’s girls only, and they’restrictabout it.”

I hesitate, my mind racing. Rafael’s face flashes in my head with his ever pressing need to control every aspect of my life. But there’s no way I can let Sam suffer because ofthat.

“There’s room at my place,” I hear myself say before I can overthink it.

Sam’s head snaps up. “What?”

“I mean it,” I insist. “There’s no point wasting money on a motel if I’ve got an empty guest room just sitting there. You can stay for as long as you need.”

“Mila, that’s really nice, but I don’t want to be a bother—”

“You won’t be,” I cut him off. “Seriously. I’ve got four bedrooms in that ridiculous apartment. You’ll have your own space, and it’s only temporary.”

“But …” He starts to protest.

“You’re my friend, Sam. I’m not going to let you stay in some sketchy motel if I can help it.”

For a moment, he looks like he’s about to argue, but then he exhales, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” I say, giving him a small smile.

“Thank you,” he says softly.

Mary claps her hands together. “Crisis averted! Now let’s finish these drinks and get going.”

I’ve just invited chaos into my already complicated life, but for the first time in a long time, it feels like the right kind of chaos.

After we are done, we wave goodbye to Mary at the curb. Sam and I climb into the backseat of a cab, both slightly tipsy but not enough to be incoherent. The driver nods when I give him theaddress. Sam leans back with a sigh, his head resting against the window.

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