Page 98 of The Worst Kind of Promise
Then me.
He forgets the puck and drops his head back, screwing his eyes shut like that’ll somehow wipe his memory clean. “Oh, God. That was—you—her—in the…”
There’s no point in lying to him. He saw the evidence. The proof is in the panties. And after they were passed around like a kid’s pet rock during show and tell, I kind of figured Faye wouldn’t want them back. So I bought her a drawer full of silk and lace underwear, in a variety of colors and types.
“That was definitely a one-time thing,” I assure him.
Okay, maybe one moretinylie wouldn’t hurt.
37
A BITTERSWEET GOODBYE
FAYE
Icould barely sleep, even with Kit’s arms wrapped tightly around me the whole night. This is my last day with everyone before I return to my life back in Pennsylvania, where I have back-to-back classes followed by an afternoon of teaching kids. Everything is so…scheduled. If you’d ask me prior to summer, I probably would’ve told you that’s exactly how I like it. But now, I’m not so sure. There was something so liberating about waking up, having the whole day to do something with the people I love, and seeing where the flow would take us. No structure. No responsibilities. No expectations.
I insisted I’d catch a flight back home, but in typical Kit fashion, he told me that he’s driving me, and that’s the end of the discussion. Four days on the road roundtrip for him, all so he can spend a few extra hours with me. I spent the better half of my morning crying over leaving. In return, Kit spent his better half making a schedule for when we can call and FaceTime, and he even picked out the weekends when he’s free to come and visit.
After the truth came out, the guys were all on board with our relationship. Gage yapped to everyone how he knew something was up. If we didn’t come clean, I think he would’ve eventually figured it out. There hasn’t been any change in how they’ve treated me, but I think that’s because they already saw me as family in the first place.
And the fans were more than supportive when they heard the news. I never imagined being paraded all over the internet, but article after article continued to roll out the story like it was the freshest thing since sliced bread. I’d even gained fifty thousand new Instagram followers overnight just because of Kit’s outreach.
I finish folding my last shirt, tucking it on top of the others shoved in my suitcase. I never realized how much of my stuff had taken up Kit’s space. His room looks so barren.
Aeris sits on the edge of the bed, sniffling into a wad of tissues. “I’m going to miss you so much,” she burbles, streaks of mascara slashing through her foundation.
“I’m only a call away, Aer. And I’ll be back for the holidays.” I shut the lid compartment and zip up the suitcase, propping it upright before placing it by the door. When I turn to face her, the tears rain down even harder, and I hug my future sister-in-law (fingers crossed) in my arms.
Aeris abandons her tissues to squeeze the living breath out of me, her strawberry and lavender aroma mantling me. She’s the closest thing I have to a girl best friend. I haven’t really made a lot of friends in college, so knowing that I can rely on her for anything…it’s something I hold close and dear to my heart.
When we pull away, I do my best to dab underneath her eyes without ruining her makeup, and she passes me a smile.
“Am I interrupting something?” a voice asks from the doorway.
I don’t know why I expected it to be Kit—maybe because I’m always searching for his voice—but the moment I turn toward the door, something dark and heavy gathers in my chest, contaminating the air around me.
It’s my brother.
He has one hand on the doorframe, the rest of his body shadowed, like he’s not sure if he’s invited in and doesn’t want to overstep his boundaries. There’s no anger circling him, no indignation in the storm-roughened gunmetal of his eyes, which have yet to turn back to their vibrant blue.
Aeris squeezes my arm one last time before she gives us the room, whispering something to Hayes on her way out.
I stay sitting where I am and let him come to me. I didn’t really know if we would talk before I left. I mean, it wouldn’t have been ideal if we didn’t, but I didn’t want to make him madder than he already was. Slowly, he drags his feet over to me, taking a seat beside me on the bed—though there seems to exist an invisible delineation that was never there before.
He doesn’t need to say anything for me to know that he’s hurting just as much as I am. Mussed hair, gaunt cheeks, pronounced circles under energy-sapped eyes. My stomach tangles with guilty ruminations, and my mouth drains of moisture, giving way to a rather uncomfortable swallow down my scratchy throat.
We speak at the same time.
“Faye—”
“I—”
“You go,” I mumble awkwardly, revisiting the amethyst resting against my chest, dipping my toe back into that old habit—one I thought I was strong enough to kick. I thought I wouldn’t wear it again, but goodbyes have always been hard for me.
Hayes takes in a belly-filling breath, then exhales heavily. It’s as if all of his rage has been vaporized, and it’s exiting his body in that single breath. When he looks at me, the only affliction on his face is regret.
“Faye, I…I don’t even know where to begin,” he whispers, tripping over his words.
