Page 23 of All Your Tomorrows

“She won’t return my texts,” she admitted.

I placed the hot chocolate on the counter. “I guess she doesn’t want a backstabber as a friend either.”

She buried her hands in her coat pockets. “I deserve that.”

I moved to the display case with the lemon pie and placed a piece on a dish before cashing the woman out. She took her order and left, but Zoe didn’t go.

“I miss you,” Zoe persisted.

I stared at her feeling absolutely nothing. Not sadness. Not hate. Nothing.

Reading the indifference in my eyes, she said. “I guess I just thought you’d hear me out if I came here.”

“I heard you. Now, please don’t come back here,” I said, impressed that her plea didn’t stir the least bit of emotion in me. She destroyed our friendship. Not me.

She blinked back tears before turning and walking out of the café.

I stood frozen to my spot for a long moment, unsure why she thought I’d care about their breakup.

“You okay?” Daci asked.

I turned to look at her standing nearby. “Yeah. But can I just have a minute?”

“Of course,” she said. “Julie should be here soon anyway.”

“Thanks,” I said before moving into the back room.

I squatted with my back to the brick wall, covering my face with my hands. I just needed a moment to regroup. I’d been able to avoid Zoe all semester. Did she really think I’d be happy they broke up, like I’d been waiting for it to happen so I could have him back? Didn’t she know I thought they deserved each other and wanted nothing to do with either one of them ever again?

“Nora?”

I dropped my hands and looked up. Kyler moved toward me with effortless swagger. I blinked hard. Zoe may not have been a welcome sight, buthecertainly was.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded as I stood up, surprised to even see him there. He hadn’t said a single word on the drive home from his parents’ house yesterday. And, once we returned to my house, he told me he was going for a walk but never returned.

“What are you doing back here?” he asked, a tinge of concern in his voice.

“Just taking a minute,” I said, my eyes drifting over his hoodie and jeans. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

Kyler leaned beside me against the brick wall. “Okayis a subjective thing given my situation.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Did you need something?”

“I just wanted to see you.”

My stomach flip-flopped. “Yeah?”

He nodded. “I wanted to thank you for bringing me yesterday.”

I sighed, stupidly thinking he’d meant something else. But, I steeled my features and acted unfazed. “I didn’t really have a choice. You would’ve haunted me until I did.”

He laughed, but his eyes flashed down. “I’m sorry I flaked on you.”

“You didn’t flake on me,” I said.

“It was a lot.” His eyes cut sidelong to me. “And I didn’t know what to do with it.”

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