Page 100 of Come Apart
Chapter Eighteen
The shriek of my ringtone pierces the otherwise calm silence.
It's Samantha.
I peek into the bedroom.
Alyssa is in her own little world, her hands curled around her Kindle, her eyes glued to its screen.
She turns towards the sound, her eyes connecting with mine. "Samantha?"
"Yeah." She motions for me to close the door. That must be a sign of trust.
I answer. "Hey."
"Hey," Samantha replies. It's almost a whisper.
Her parents must be home.
"Is everything okay?"
"I can survive a few days without you," she says. "But this isn't really a social call. And I have to make it quick."
"Date with Mr. Whole Foods?"
"No, that's not happening. Not after my fun hospital stay."
Fucking hilarious.
"I have a few interviews in L.A.," she continues.
"That's great."
"I want to move back as soon as I can. My parents are driving me crazy."
Tension knots in my shoulders. "My friend Mike could help you find a place."
"Yeah, Mike is great." She takes a slow breath. "But I already know where I want to live."
I clear my throat. "Where is that?"
Samantha sighs. She wants me to say all this for her. She wants me to offer the house back, so she doesn't have to ask.
"Luke... you know where."
"Where?"
"I want the house."
She says it so bluntly, as if I have no say in the matter, as if it doesn't matter that I've been living here for six months. Or that she dumped my sorry ass and promised to move out. Or that she didn't even want the house when she tried and failed to leave me. She didn't even want me to buy her out of her half of the mortgage, not with Edward fronting the money for the down payment.
She wanted her conscience clean, so she could live happily ever after with him.
"Luke? Are you there?"
"Yeah."
"I know I don't have any legal standing, but I want it. It was a long time ago, but it felt like home."
