Page 38 of Last Call Lindy Hop
The way she talked made tendrils of fear curl through me. It was all in the past tense. “How bad is it?” I asked.
“Not good,” she admitted. “Not as bad as after… but it hasn’t been pretty.”
“Oh, Lance…” I sighed.
She nodded and took a sip of her tea.
I closed my eyes and thought about him, his kind yet pained eyes, the way a real smile lit up his entire face.
I’d hurt him. I didn’t mean to, but I had.
“I need to see him,” I whispered.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to convince him to come out.”
My heart ached at the thought that he was home alone, and that it was my fault.
“What’s his apartment number?”
“What?”
I met Kenzie’s gaze. “I only dropped him off that night, I didn’t go up. What’s his number?”
“You’re going?”
I nodded. “I have to. I have to see him. I… I have to try to make it right.”
She studied me for a minute. “Eight-fifteen.”
“Eight-fifteen?” I echoed.
“Yes.” She paused. “I’m not sure you want to see him like this though.”
“I have to, because…” I paused, and took a deep breath. “Because I think I’m falling in love with him, and love means taking the bad with the good. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I abandoned him now?”
She gave me a tense smile. “You really mean that? About falling in love?”
I nodded.
She closed her eyes and pinched her nose, carefully avoiding her eyeshadow. “I don’t know if that’s the best thing for him right now. He’s so fragile, and if it doesn’t work out…”
“I know, and I don’t know if it’s the best either, but I’m not going to lie to him. Besides, even if he doesn’t feel the same, I’m not going to give up on him as a friend.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. I want him in my life, however he’ll have me.”
“He might not be ready.”
“I need to try.” I blew out a long breath. “And I promise that if it looks like my presence is doing more harm than good, I’ll leave. But I won’t leave him hanging. I’ll let him know that the door is open, whenever he’s ready.”
“Ok.”
I reached across the table and rested my hand on hers. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Looking out for him. The world needs more people like you.”
