Page 108 of Not Fooling Anyone

Her apartment it is, then. Even if she’s not there now, she has to come home eventually. And if I’m lucky, I can catch Travis—the one other person she seems to talk to regularly. Maybe he can shed some light on what’s going on with her.

I make the drive over, keeping an eye out for Lexie’s car in the complex’s parking lot, but there are no rusted Corollas here. Guess I’ll be waiting, then.

I park in the corner, away from everyone else, not wanting her to recognize my SUV right off the bat when she comes home, and jog over to her apartment door, knocking. Please let her roommate be home. If he lets me in, she’ll have a harder time kicking me out.

Wow, stalker much?

The door opens, the same guy from before there, once again staring at me confusedly. “Ethan?”

“Hey, it’s Travis, right?”

He nods. “Lexie isn’t here.”

“I know. Could I talk to you, though?”

He makes a pointing motion toward himself, brows raised. “Uh, sure.” He steps back, letting me in, and I sigh in relief. I’m making progress.

“Would you like something to drink?” he asks hesitantly, pausing by the kitchen. Is this as awkward for him as it is for me?

“No, I’m fine.”

He moves into the living room, perching on one end of the couch. “What did you want to talk about?”

I take a seat near the other end, wiping my palms on my shorts. “I just want to know what’s going on with Lexie. She won’t talk to me.”

His brows pinch together. “I thought you guys broke up.”

Did we? I never even confirmed we were dating. “Did she say that?”

“She came home crying that one night. She said you two weren’t going to work out.”

The dull ache in my chest that’s been my constant companion lately flares to life. “She was crying?” I thought her stomach had hurt or something.

“Like, sobbing. I’ve never seen her cry before. It was crazy.”

I can’t imagine whatever we did would make her sob. Being bad in bed wouldn’t provoke that kind of reaction. So why was she crying? “Did she say anything else?”

“She said… Oh God, how did she put it?” He looks up at the ceiling, blowing out a breath. “You had some fundamental differences she couldn’t get past. But that’s it. I’ve tried asking her about it since then, but she clams up.”

Yeah, that part sounds like her.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “I’m going to be honest. I have no idea why she said that. And I really want to find out why. Can I stay here until she gets home? I just want to talk to her.”

He studies me, but I can’t tell what he sees. Desperation? Someone at the end of their rope?

“Yeah, but I’m going to stick around. To make sure she’s safe.”

I nod, relief flooding through me. “I respect that. I’m glad she has someone looking out for her.”

He gets more comfortable on the couch, crossing his legs. “She doesn’t really have anyone else. She’s not close to her family. Doesn’t have any other friends. That’s why I asked her to move in here after my last roommate moved out. I think she was in a rough spot before that, but she wouldn’t talk about it.”

“Her dad told me she pushes people away. I guess she’s been like that for a long time.”

He stares at me for a moment. “You know her dad?”

“Yeah. He’s a trainer at the gym I box at.”

He opens his mouth, then shuts it, finally saying, “Shenevertalks about him. Or her mom. I’m starting to wonder if I know her at all.”

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