Page 11 of True Blue

Jack has his hands in his pockets and head tucked downward. “I should probably say goodbye to Layla before I go.”

“Are you walking out?” April says beside me.

Jack looks up at her, his eyes pinched slightly as he nods.

“I should probably get back as well.” She unlocks her arm from mine and hugs me again, wrapping both around me this time. I hug her back, closing my eyes for a moment.

After we release, she walks over to Mira, putting a hand on her cheek. “Have a great week, baby. I'll see you on Friday.” They hug and my eyes drift over to my new roommate, who watches the exchange with envy burning in his eyes. Ignoring the urge to find out what’s wrong, I look back at Mira and April as they separate.

April turns toward Jack. “I’ll walk out with you.”

He nods, stepping forward to clap Axel on the back in a quick hug. “See you in a few weeks, son.” Axel tips his chin once and Jack drops his hand. I watch the exchange, suddenly feeling the absence in the room and understanding the earlier look in Axel’s eyes.

Gwen turns and squeezes Axel’s shoulder before facing their dad again. “I’ll go with you to see Lay, Dad.” Jack nods and gestures for April and Gwen to lead the way. April turns back and waves at Mira and I before they all walk out, leaving the door open in their wake.

Mira immediately turns to Axel once we hear the elevator doors close in the hallway. “I really am so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked about your mom like that.”

I raise an eyebrow, but the two disregard me as Axel shrugs.

“It’s fine. Dad wasn’t exactly being subtle withyourmom.”

I agree with him, but Mira bristles at his implication. He follows it up with a smirk. I feel my guard start to rise.

Axel doesn’t seem to notice, barreling on. “Guess it’s fair for me to ask where your dad is now?”

I cross my arms over my chest, stepping in front of Mira and knowing exactly why this time. “Back off, dude,” I warn. His smile seems to dim for a second.

Mira’s hand touches my arm as she steps out from behind me. “No, he’s right. I asked about his mom so it’s only fair.”

I keep my eyes on Axel, but he looks away, running a hand through his hair.

“He’s in Helsinki. He has businesses all over the world, so he travels a lot.” She shrugs but dry swallows before continuing. “He’d be here with Mom if he could, he just couldn’t make it today.”

“So, they’re still together?” His eyes fly back to Mira’s. “Didn’t seem like it a few minutes ago,” he murmurs.

Mira tenses and I feel myself follow suit. Attractive or not, this guy is pushing his luck. Mira has always put her parent’s happiness above her own. He might not know the exact buttons he’s pushing for her, but I do, and I’ll always put myself between my best friend and people that might hurt her.

Axel puts his hands up though, eyes darting between the two of us. “I just mean, she didn’t warn dad off and she wasn’t wearing a ring.”

I look down at Mira, trying to read her expression. “She probably just forgot it at home,” I placate, noting the worry lines on her forehead. She nods, but her eyes stay a bit unfocused.

Changing the subject, I nudge her. “Wanna go see if your roommate showed up?”

We spent a few hours this morning unloading all of Mira’s stuff and putting most of it away, but her roommate never turned up in all that time. I know she’s more nervous about meeting Janette, having sent her a couple messages over the summer, but Janette never responded. They probably got her number wrong by a digit or something, but the lack of response made Mira nervous, worried it was intentional.

I hear Axel flop down on the couch behind us and turn back to him. “You want to come?” My stomach twists when he smiles and flashes his bright white teeth.

With a shake of his head, he looks over toward his room. “I got more stuff to unpack so I’ll pass.” His eyes land back on me again. “Sean mentioned a floor meeting at seven by the way.”

I nod and he gets up, heading into his room. I turn back to Mira, walking out of the suite and closing the door behind me. “He seems chill,” I say, watching her reaction. But her mind must be somewhere else. She starts wringing her hands together after pressing the elevator button.

Realizing I don’t have a key to get back into my suite, I clench my jaw and shake my head before releasing the tension. “I should probably go find Sean to get my keys,” I say, glancing down the hall to see which way 801 is. Mira doesn’t respond, still staring ahead when I turn back, so I add, “Meet you there?”

She nods and I pause for a minute, debating getting the keys later, but then the elevator dings and I walk off toward Sean’s room, quickening my pace so that she won’t be alone for too long.

5

Annoyance heats my blood as I walk back out to my suite’s living room area to grab another box off the pile beside my bedroom door. Christopher lays across one of the green couches, feet hanging off the edge and hands folded behind his head. He’s been lounging there since we arrived, after he asked for my login to the Wi-Fi and started streaming a baseball game on the TV across from him. Even made himself a coffee in the Keurig during a commercial break.

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