Page 24 of Teach Me to Fly

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” I give him a small smile and he tries but fails to return it.

“Call me right away if anything that you’re not comfortable with happens,” he says, finally.

I nod in agreement, and he looks at me one last time before walking out the front door. He says nothing to Reign as he passes him and when he’s gone, I join Reign outside. He stays quiet while he smokes, staring straight ahead at the sinking sun just over the trees in the distance.

I let out a sigh, shoving my hands into my hoodie pocket before coming to stand beside him.

“I didn’t mean to imply you’d hurt me,” I say after a beat.

He doesn’t reply, instead taking another pull of his cigarette, and I don’t say anything right away either. Because the truth is… he did hurt me. When I left for New York, he disappeared from my life like I never mattered. One day we were talking, sharing music, whispering secrets and then the next, it was like I didn’t exist. No goodbye or explanation. He just ghosted me.

And for a long time, I told myself I understood, that maybe I hadn’t meant as much to him as he’d meant to me. I convinced myself it was easier for him to let go this way, but it still gutted me. I don’t say any of that now, though. I’m not sure I know how.

I take another deep breath and turn to face him. “But, if you’re going to be living here with me, then we need rules.”

He turns his head and finally looksat me—those blue eyes sending a tingle through my body—exhaling the smoke out the side of his mouth.

“Rules?” He asks, his tone curious.

I nod. “So that we’re both as comfortable as possible with this arrangement.”

His lip twitches and he turns his body to face me now, leaning his shoulder against a support beam. “I’m listening.”

“Okay, well for starters, we’re not allowed in each other’s rooms.” The last thing I want is to be haunted by the idea of him walking into my room while I’m asleep.

“Deal,” he says with a lazy smirk. “If you think you can manage that.”

I frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He laughs to himself but says nothing, so I roll my eyes and continue.

“Also, if you’re going to invite your girlfriend over, let me know beforehand so that I can leave,” I say, looking away now and feigning nonchalance as my cheeks warm. “The last thing I want is to hear anything I shouldn’t or have her try to rip my head off in the place that I sleep.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Girlfriend?”

“Wendy,” I clarify.

“She is not my girlfriend.”

“Okay, fine. Fuck buddy,” I throw my hands up in exasperation. “Whatever.”

“She’s not my fuck buddy, either,” he says, meeting my eyes. “But I get your point.”

“Well then, the rule applies to whoeverisyour girlfriend or fuck buddy now.

He takes a long drag, studying me, then exhales slowly. “Same goes for you, then.”

I blink. “What?”

“No boyfriend or fuck buddy,” he says, observing me.

“I don’t have either,” I say, slowly.

I don’t miss the twitch of his lip again and the playful glint in his eyes. “Noted.”

My cheeks warm and I look away again.

“Any other rules?” he asks after a beat, tossing his cigarette to the ground and putting it out with his boot.

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