Page 115 of The Fallacy of True Love
Now that I was close enough, I noticed the tension in his eyes. “I’ll tell you inside,” he replied.
He opened the door for me, and a bulging canvas bag took up the seat.
“What’s this?”
“Snacks for the trip,” Alonzo answered, holding my backpack and the canvas bag so I could sit.
“So you weren’t going to try to convince me not to go?”
He huffed out a breath. “I am. But I brought this just in case.”
He handed the canvas bag to me, then closed my door and placed my backpack in the backseat.
When he was inside and we’d pulled away from the curb, I spoke up. “So, what happened?”
He glanced at me. “First, hi, Maya. I missed you.”
“You saw me a few hours ago.”
“That’s a few hours too many.”
I shook my head, not ready to admit that I’d missed him too. “Tell me.”
“I asked my mom if I could borrow the car, but my dad ended up using it instead. Good thing Tala didn’t need her car tonight.”
“Ahh. It’s a nice car.”
“Yeah.” His jaw ticked. “I’m pissed at my dad for changing the plan without bothering to tell me. He just said that I should communicate with him next time. Why would I when all he wants to talk about are my grades and how he doesn’t trust me? Like I haven’t been responsible my whole life, except for that one time I disappeared on them.”
I chose my words carefully. “Have you told him how you feel?”
“Partially. Whenever I try, it turns into an argument, and I don’t want to stress Mama out or put her in the middle.”
“I don’t have experience with parents, but…” I bit my lip. “Won’t she be stressed anyway if you and your dad aren’t getting along?” I asked.
“Yeah. I need to talk to her about it and figure things out.“ He exhaled. “I’m sorry for ruining the mood.”
I shook my head. “Don’t apologize for telling me how you feel. I just wish I could help. Give you advice or something.”
Glancing at me, he smiled. “You’re already helping by being here and listening.”
The words sent a pang through my chest. I didn’t know how to respond to that, because soon enough, I wouldn’t be here.
So I didn’t say anything at all.
“Anyway, I don’t want to spend the time we have talking about my dad. How was your day?”
“I survived boot camp.”
“I knew you would. Congrats.” His eyes flicked to me. “Did you see my note?”
See it? I’d memorized it. “Yep. And it’s a maybe.”
“Maybe, huh?”
His low chuckle had me wishing I could tell him to turn the car back around.
“I can work with that,” he murmured. “It means there’ll be a next time.”
