Page 80 of Unwanted

“So does that mean you’ll come to Seattle with me?”

* * *

Lennox was the only one who knew I had decided to move back to LA permanently. I wanted his opinion as much as I wanted him to know that repairing our relationship was a priority to me.

As for Clem and Remy, I wanted to surprise them and tell them when we returned, but Clem’s distaste at the fabricated story Arlo and I provided about why we were going to Seattle almost made me want to ease her anxiety now.

“Are you seriously moving to Seattle?” Clem demands of Arlo.

“I’m just going to see if I like it there; if I can see myself living there.”

Clem was furious, and if Remy cared, he didn’t let on.

I hand Arlo his duffel bag and hook mine over my shoulder. “Stop worrying,” I tell her. “He probably won’t like it.”

She glares at me. “He better not like it, because this was not part of my plan.”

I chuckle. “Your plan? Don’t you think you should’ve let us in on it?”

“Ugh,” she groans. “You were supposed to move back home. That’s it.”

“We’ll be gone for three days.” Stepping forward, I place my hands on her shoulders. “That isn’t long enough for him to fall in love with Seattle.”

She rolls her eyes. “He doesn’t need to fall in love with Seattle. He’s in love with you.”

I look back at Arlo and he winks. He was in love with me.

So,soin love with me.

If I were a spectator looking on, I’d be disgusted at how saccharine we were together, but I’d never been happier.

Almost two weeks had passed since Jordan dropped the news of the LA office, and I’d been ridiculously busy.

He had me running all around the city looking for the perfect office space. I hadn’t worked this many hours since Lennox’s injury. But it felt good to no longer be stagnant.

This weekend Arlo and I were heading to Seattle to finalize things with Jordan and to say goodbye to the place and the people that had kept me occupied for the last four years.

I was also a little excited to introduce Arlo to Gael and Jordan. When I’d left LA I had cut ties with a lot of people I’d thought were friends. When you took away the drugs and the partying and all the other bullshit we’d gotten lost in, there was no true friendship. No true support.

But even though it had only been for a handful of years, Gael and Jordan had given me both of those things.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask Arlo.

“Yep.” He checks the time. “I just need to stop at the gym before we go. It’s Rhys’s first shift and I need to quickly run through a few things with him.”

“If you want to do that and make the flight, we need to leave.” I lean over and give Clem a kiss on the cheek. “I’m heading to the car, but I’ll see you soon.”

When Arlo finally climbs in, I race us to the gym and wait in the car while he handles his business details.

When you grow up in the system it can sometimes be difficult to make future plans. I remember when teachers used to ask what we wanted to do after graduating from school and the only answer we ever had was that we just wanted to survive.

Unless you received a scholarship, college wasn’t an option, and with a history of bad behavior and truancy like Arlo and I had, there were no teachers putting their hand up to vouch for us.

So, even without all that, and with everything Arlo had endured, I was glad he’d found his place in this world.

Ten minutes later, Arlo finally walks out of the gym and climbs back into the car.

“Is everything okay?” I ask as I turn on the engine.

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