Page 96 of Creatures Like Us
“Nothing,” I whisper, cursing how fucking stressed out and rattled I feel.
More than ever, I wish I had some drugs to numb the darkness welling up from within. The cravings pierce my chest like sharp needles, and it hurts just as badly as it did during the worst stage of my withdrawal.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Noah wraps his arms around me, and I force myself to hug him back, burying my face into his shoulder, inhaling deeply. He smells so nice.
It’s not his fault that Lilith came and ruined everything. We were having a good time before then, even if Noah was visibly uncomfortable about the whole going-outside thing. I was too, in a way. I liked feeling the sunshine on my face though; I really needed that.
“It’s okay,” Noah says. “We don’t need to go outside again, ever. We’ll order everything online from now on.”
“Okay,” I mumble into his shoulder, but I can’t help but feel a little weird about what he just said. It’s not like I never want to go outside again just because of that run-in with Lilith.
We can go on walks and stuff, feel the sun on our faces, breathe the fresh air. We can’t just be cooped up in the basement twenty-four seven. It’s not healthy.
“How about some tea?” Noah offers.
“Tea?” I mumble, wiping my face with my sleeve. “Fine, but only if it’s got lots of sugar in it.”
He smiles. “Of course.”
Noah brews the tea while I sit by the kitchen island. Just then, a familiar ringtone sounds through the room. My ringtone. My phone is ringing.
I rise from the barstool and go on a treasure hunt. A while back, I told Noah to hide my phone away, but it doesn’t seem like he did a very good job. I find it on the top shelf of a cabinet.
When I see the name on the screen, my heart jumps to my throat.
“Who is it?” Noah asks.
“It’s Ethan. He never calls me.”Why is he calling me?
“Well, maybe you should answer.”
I take a deep breath and tap the reply button. “Hello?”
“Ash? Hi.”
Fuck, it’s so weird hearing his voice. I almost want to start crying again. It must be over a year now since I last heard it.
“I’m coming home for the weekend,” my brother says casually, as if he hasn’t left me on read for months. “Just thought I’d let you know.”
“Why are you calling me?” I can’t help the tense tone of my voice. How the hell am I supposed to talk to someone who pretty much told me he hated me last time we spoke in real life? “Why not just text me?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Just wanted to check in on you.”
“Did Lilith contact you?”
“Who’s Lilith?” When I don’t reply, he makes an impatient noise. “I’m coming home for the weekend, okay? If you want to see me, come to Mom and Dad’s tomorrow.”
At that, he hangs up, and I’m left staring at the phone in my hand.
I can’t believe he called me. I can’t believe I just heard his voice.
Fuck, this day has been beyond exhausting. I can’t wait to crawl into bed with Noah and just forget about everything, at least until tomorrow.
Noah sets the kettle on the counter. “What did he say?”
“He?…?he told me he’s going home for the weekend. To my parents’.”
“Okay.” For some reason, his voice grows tense. “But I thought you and your brother had a falling-out?”
