Page 55 of The Sound Of Silence

Willow appears as Pippa rushes out, “Deal,” and then her attention shifts.

She and Willow hug and cry and smile and cry some more. At least Pippa cries; Willow’s tears remain unshed. Meanwhile, I’m so anxious I can’t get my knee to stop bouncing.

“I need air,” I blurt, interrupting them before racing toward the exit.

Pippa follows me out, and when I turn to ask her—no, beg her—to stay at her parents’ place instead of Willow’s, I catch sight of Tate walking down the street. Not a care in the fucking world.He never left.Or maybe like us, he tried but got stuck in this godforsaken town.

His eyes lock with mine, and his face drops before it’s replaced by a scowl. Does me still being here invoke the threat? Is he going to hurt her?

A darkness swirls inside me as we stare at each other, and my need to leave dissipates in a heartbeat, a question coming to mind. Am I willing to risk derailing my entire life, everything I've worked hard for, just to keep her safe? Just to protect the girl that could ruin it all?

Yeah, I think I am.

In fact, no one could stop me even if they tried.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Willow

Idon’tmoveforan hour after Pippa and Jesse leave the diner, cursing myself for how I reacted to seeing him.What the hell is wrong with me?I’d love to say I was only distraught because I thought Pippa was in the car, but that’s an outright lie.

When word spread about the accident, I felt the blood drain from my body as I shook. I’m not the sort of person to jump to ridiculous conclusions, and yet, as soon as I heard about the crash, it wasn’t just Pippa I was worried about.BothPippa and Jesse came to mind.

Ever since meeting him, I’ve had this lingering feeling deep within my soul that he was trouble or that something big was coming. There’s something about him that feels dangerous, like I could lose him at any moment, and he’s not even mine to lose. He willneverbe mine.

When I saw him standing in front of me—alive—my heart started beating again, and I couldn’t stop myself from running into his arms. Arms that he freaking wrapped around me.He hugged me back.

And now, I’m screwed.

This is worse than when I realized I liked him. Because for the first time in my life, he made me feel wanted. And I can’t freaking handle that.

God, what am I doing?

When I've spent too long in the diner without ordering anything to eat or drink, I bury my thoughts and make my escape. Wrapping my arms around myself, I set off toward my store, hoping that it will keep me distracted. But when no one even walks past my window after three hours, I realize it’s a lost cause and head home, my heart lodged in my throat the entire time.

It’s quiet when I unlock the front door, and my relief is palpable. What’s even better is that I don’t see or hear from Pippa and Jesse for the rest of the day, giving me some much-needed respite. I’ve spent the past decade staying away from drama, keeping to myself, and now I seem to have landed face first into what could be a massive scandal if my feelings ever got out.

When I’m heating some leftovers in the early evening, Pippa walks in, a sheepish look on her face. “So, we’re staying in town,” she says, as though it’s new information for me. “Jesse suggested we stay at Mom and Dad’s, so we don’t disrupt your life anymore, but you know what they’re like.”

“Perfect in small doses?” I shrug.

“Exactly.” Pippa smiles.

“You’re welcome to stay here," I offer, my heart racing at the prospect. "You can stay as long as you need.”

“Yes. Thank you." Pippa sighs in relief. "Honestly, the thought of staying with Mom…”

“I get it. It’s fine. Where is Jesse anyway?”

“Out for a walk. I think he’s still shaken over everything that happened.”

I swallow a lump in my throat and decide to apologize to Pippa for my behavior. It’s the least I can do considering the secrets I’m keeping. “About the diner,” I begin hesitantly. “I thought something had happened to you and when I saw Jesse… I just kind of lost it.”

Sympathy crosses Pippa’s face and she shakes her head. “Oh God, Willow. Icompletelyunderstand.”

“You do?” I ask, not liking the way she said “completely.”

“Yes, and there’s something I need to talk to you about. I should have told you earlier, but—”

---