Page 166 of Rules

My stomach rumbles as I look at the late afternoon sun. Chuckling, I rub my sweaty forehead before my hand settles on my stomach.

I guess it’s time to eat.

Going down the stairs, I think of all the things I still have to do before I send the paintings to Mrs. Brown. She insisted I send them to her so she can enter them in whatever competition she wanted. Not that I cared much. The only reason I agreed in the first place is because of the possible money I could get out of it. The money I so desperatelyneedbecause working part-time in a bookstore isn’t cutting it. For now, I was lucky to be able to stay with Mrs. Brown’s sister, but I know I can’t stay here forever. This is just another stop on the road. To where exactly, I’m not sure.

You could go back. You could call Lia and…

I shake my head, dismissing the devil whispering in my ear. There is no way I’m going back to Greyford, not with how I left things. Not with all the secrets and…

“And who might you be?” I hear Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Brown’s sister, ask from downstairs.

I continue down, still half-immersed in my thoughts.

“I’m her brother and this is…”

Those words, thatvoice, snap me out of it. I lift my head, stopping at the halfway point from which I have a clear view of the front door, but then one of the stairs creaks loudly, no matter how softly I step on it.

All heads turn to look at me, butheis the only one I see.

Max.

I stop dead in my tracks, my hand gripping the railing and holding on to it for dear life as my mouth hangs open in surprise.

What the hell is he doing here?

My heart is beating so loudly, the sound echoing in my veins as my lungs close up, impeding me from inhaling. A choked sound comes out when I try to take a breath.

He shouldn’t be here. He should be back in Greyford, finishing senior year and packing his bags to go to whatever university he got into, where he’ll have a stellar hockey career and go off to play professional hockey like he always wanted.

Then why is he here?

Our eyes stay glued to each other’s. Not blinking. Not breathing.

It’s like we’re stuck.

Stuck in time and space, unable to move.Unwilling.Because the moment we do, the spell will be broken, our lives shattered and nothing will ever be same again.

So we drink each other in like this is the last chance we’ll ever get.

Then his lips move, a pained whisper falling from them. Just one word, just one sound, carrying so much heartache, so much pain. My name.

“Brook.”

It ripples through my body, shaking me to my core. It’s been weeks.Weekssince I last laid my eyes on him. Weeks since I heard the sound of his voice. Weeks since I felt his touch. And it’s like that one word unleashed everything inside of me. Theacheso strong, all-consuming, that if I don’t hold on to the railing, it would bring me down to my knees.

All the feelings I’ve been fighting, feelings I thought I’d managed to shove away and stash somewhere deep inside of me—because I’m not foolish enough to believe they’re actually gone—are now back in full force.

So much for doing better.

“W-What are you doing here?” I stutter out quietly.

When I left Greyford that day, I let myself cry all the tears, but then I decided I was done. Done crying. Done overthinking. Done wishing things were different. They are what they are, and there is no changing that. So when the last tear fell, I wiped my cheeks and pushed all those thoughts and feelings away. I locked them in the box, I turned off my phone, and didn’t let myself come close to either of them. It was better that way. Safer.

Although my eyes are glued to Max’s, from the corner of my eye, I can see Mrs. Perry look between us.

“I’ll give you kids a moment.”

I nod absentmindedly, still trying to wrap my mind around what’s happening here. Max is here. In Virginia. In Mrs. Perry’s house. He came here looking for me. There was no other explanation.

---