Page 75 of I'm Not in Love (I Promise)

With a sign and a nod against my shoulder, she says, “If you’re going to stay, have you at least peeked through all his stuff? You need a full picture of who this guy is and there’s only a few ways to accomplish that.”

Pretty sure he showed his true colors when he gifted me Trevor’s skin, but there’s no way I’m telling Falin thatinformation. She’ll cuff me and drag me back with her whether I like it or not.

“Not really. I’ve had no reason to.”

She climbs off the bed and turns the lock on the door. “Oh, honey, we have work to do.”

I didn’t want to take part in it, but once Falin started opening drawers and lifting the edge of the mattress, I got sucked in. It gave me a small thrill to know that I was doing something that Damon would disapprove of. I’d take any feeling other than grief at this point.

A few jackets hang in his closet. I shift them over to one side, finding the rest of the space completely empty. Falin’s finishing up the dresser but so far she’s found nothing but an abundance of black clothing.

“I feel like this is a waste of time and total invasion of privacy,” I finally say, plopping on the bed.

“You’ll thank me if we find something creepy,” she says, pushing another drawer closed. “Did you check under the bed?”

“I’d hate to be your kid one day. They won’t get away with anything.” To appease her I get down on my knees and peer under the bed. At first I only spot a few dust bunnies, but I pull my phone out of my pocket and shine my flashlight on a shoebox.

“Of course, they won’t. I’ve already used every trick in the book,” she says, combing through the last drawer.

“I found something.” Shimmying onto my stomach, I stretch my arm to reach it. “It’s a shoebox.”

“Oh my God, I knew it. Quick, bring it up here on the bed.” She sounds absolutely giddy. I sit back on the bed with the box in front of me. “Come on, open it.”

My hand is suddenly weighed down. I know what I’m about to do is wrong on so many levels. If Damon went through my stuff, I’d be pissed. Couples need a reasonable amount ofprivacy. It’s healthy, normal—which are two things we need more of in this relationship.

“No. I’m not going to invade his privacy like that.” The second I make the decision, a weight is lifted off my chest.

Falin grabs the box before I can stop her. “I’m not dating the guy. I’ll look in it.”

“Falin, no. Let’s put it back.” I plead with her but it’s no use. She yanks the lid off and her eyes bug out.

“Oh, shit. Blake, you’re going to want to look in here.”

I grab it and realize I’m looking at a box full of my stuff. My bottle of perfume, some of my underwear, and a photo of me and Falin that was in my bedroom at Brennan’s. I pull that stuff out, scared of what else I’ll find. My stomach drops. Bryan’s thumbprint necklace is sitting tangled up at the bottom of the box, along with a few other random pieces of jewelry.

Holding it in my palm, I try to control my breathing.

“Oh, fuck, is that Bryan’s necklace?” Falin asks, concern lining her face.

I nod, biting my lip to keep from crying. “Why would he have this? I thought I lost it. I’ve been so upset.”

His locket hangs heavy on my neck and I’m reminded of how he knew I was missing the necklace the entire time. He probably felt threatened in some sick way and had to make sure I was wearing a piece of him instead of my brother.What a monster.

“Blake, let’s put all this back how we found it and make an excuse to leave.” Falin starts arranging the box how it was before. She holds her hand out for the necklace, but I refuse.

“Absolutely not. He’s not getting this back. It’s the only thing I have left of Bryan. Here, put this in there.” I undo the clasp on the locket he gave me and pass it to Falin. “I don’t want it.”

I know she has something to say by the way she’s looking at me, but I’m grateful she’s holding back. I can’t right now. I’m pissed at her for making me look through his stuff, pissed at himfor stealing from me. All of it. He says he’s nothing like Ethan, yet this feels like worse of a betrayal than cheating.

“Should I call an Uber?”

“I don’t know.” I grab the box and shove it back under the bed, hesitating for a long moment before answering. “Yeah, I need some space.” And time to process why he’d even have a box like this. Should I really be surprised after everything else he’s done?

“Let me go out there. I’ll make something up.”

I nod and blink the moisture from my eyes. My things are scattered around the room and toiletries are in the bathroom, but at this point I don’t care enough about anything other than my laptop, chargers, and other school stuff. Falin leaves tomorrow and then it’s back to real life. I have goals and I can’t let Damon come in and derail everything I’ve worked for. I’ll get back to my schedule and everything will be fine. I’ve always gotten by that way, and I’ll get through this too.

I feel Damon’s energy like a prickle on the back of my neck, and sure enough when I turn, he’s in the doorway watching me. I kick my bag under the bed where he won’t spot it. “Falin said you guys want to go out tonight? Any idea where you’d like to go?”

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