Page 19 of Yours to Break

“Just dinner? No strings attached?” I asked hesitantly, chewing on my bottom lip. I gulped when I saw Hudson’s eyes zero in on the action.

“How about it? We take you to dinner tonight, get to know each other, and drop you back home safe and sound. We won’t touch you intimately even if you beg.” Hayes winked, earning a confused chuckle out of me.

“I mean… You guys promise you won’t try to coerce me into anything?”

“Pinky promise,” they both replied with blinding smiles.

Something told me I was going to regret this.

“Okay.”

* * *

I closed and locked up the store early, around 5 p.m. I’d already changed out of my embarrassing yoga pants after the twins had left. Loose, baggy jeans hung from my hips, and a brown sweater vest covered a short-sleeved white shirt.

Hudson and Hayes weren’t supposed to be picking me up until 7 p.m., so by closing at 5 p.m., I had more than enough time to bike over to Lane’s apartment and hopefully figure out what had been going on.

As I rode over to his apartment, I couldn’t help but admire what a gorgeous night it was. The sky was clear, and the temperature was comfortable enough for late winter.

I tried and failed to not hold my breath as I locked my bike to the bike rack and rode the elevator up to Lane’s floor. By the time I was standing outside his door, I felt lightheaded.

I gulped in air like a fish out of water before reaching my hand over to ring the doorbell.

And again.

And maybe a third time, because what if he didn’t hear the first two?

And then a few loud knocks just in case the doorbell was broken.

Nothing.

I fidgeted, unsure of what to do next. I didn’t do well under pressure. Glancing at my phone, I noticed it was already a quarter till 7 p.m. Had I really been at Lane’s door for that long?

I knocked again, softer this time, as if I could coax a response out of the silence like soothing a spooked animal.

“Lane?” I called, pressing my ear to the door, hearing nothing. No music, no hushed voices, no footsteps, no laughter, not even the faint hum of his television.

My fingers hovered over my phone, tempted to call or text again, but I’d already sent him a lot of messages and even left a few voicemails. No response and no read receipt. I didn’t want to bethatfriend—the one who couldn’t handle a little space without spiraling—but something about this silence didn’t feel like space. It felt like absence.

My stomach clenched, a cold wave of unease settling behind my ribs.

He was probably fine. Maybe he needed a break from me. Or maybe he went on a trip and forgot to take his phone with him.

I glanced at the time again. 6:51 p.m.

The twins would be at my place soon. I needed to give it a rest for the night and relax. I would go out, have fun, and just forget about this for a few hours.

I swallowed hard, pushing away the panic that was starting to build. Lane didn’t just go silent. Heranted, he voice-noted, he spammed emojis in a dozen messages at once. He wasn’t built for quiet. He was the kind of friend who’d send you five different cat videos within two minutes.

I lingered one more minute before backing away from the door, heart heavy with a worry I didn’t know where to put.

* * *

The twins were already parked outside of the store, both of them leaning against the side of their sleek black car. I rode past them into the alleyway, securing my bike to the bottom of the stairs leading to my apartment.

I felt the weight of their stares as I nervously wandered over to them.

“Where were you just now?” Hudson probed, his voice weirdly serious.

---