Page 76 of Final Temptation
I had no control over this situation. I didn’t have any idea where Myles was or how to help him. All I had were my words.
I was desperate for them to be enough.
Me: I know it hurts. I know this isn’t easy for you. Let me help you pick up the pieces, Myles. Please…tell me where you are. I can come get you.
If I had to guess, he relapsed. He was in so much pain; he needed to get out of here—in a hurry at that. He was hurting so goddamn bad, he didn’t feel he could lean on me. I had no idea what happened while I was gone for the evening, but a demon so bad he couldn’t take it anymore crept its way inside him.
I had a feeling this demon was his biggest one yet.
Me: Let me help take away your pain.
I shot off another text, anxiously waiting for that bubble to pop up, indicating he was typing.
Seconds went by, easily turning into minutes—no reply.When he didn’t respond, my heart sped up, the panic sinking deeper, my helpless legs stuck to the living room floor.
What the hell happened?
He was doing so good.
He opened up to me today, confiding in me just hours ago.
He took one hundred steps forward when he recounted his almost relapse and asked me to be his girlfriend.
What the fuck was making him fall back at the speed of light? And what battle was he fighting in his head that he couldn’t lean on me like he did earlier? What was stopping him from just letting me all the way in?
My vision was clouded with tears as I flipped through my contacts, my unsteady finger hovering over Paige’s name. I had to call her; I needed her help. Myles would hate me, but I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him.
He’ll never forgive me.
My thoughts pestered me.
I continued scrolling, landing on Myles’ name first. A photo I’d taken of him in our hotel room in Vegas filled up the screen, indicating the call was connected. The dial tone rang, and rang, and rang, the noise cracking my heart one ring at a time.
When he didn’t answer, I called again. And again. Repeating the process for what felt like an hour but was a torturously long ten minutes instead.
“Damnit, Myles!” I sobbed, throwing my phone on the couch from where I’d knelt down.
Where could he be? Where would he go?I never got to know the old version of Myles that well, but who he was today, I knew well. We spent day after day living together,confiding in each other, talking about his struggles and nightmares.
His nightmares.
My jaw dropped, a lightbulb going off in my head.
My legs found their strength again, the need to get to Myles growing.
I snagged my phone off the couch, grabbed my purse from the hook by the door, and went straight to my car. If he wasn’t where I thought he’d be, I’d call Paige. But the last thing I wanted to do was worry everyone before I could turn my speculations into answers.
Just days ago, I went to the site of the accident with Paige. She tried to keep up with placing fresh white roses by a cross her family put up as often as she could. Paige asked me to tag along, and since I’d never seen the spot where it all went down, it only seemed right to know that hidden part of my best friend.
Maybe Myles had gone back to where it all happened to help jog his memory or to grieve. Whatever his reasons were, if he was there, I had to confirm that he was okay.
Because it was late, the roads were practically empty, making the drive down the mountain's windy roads quicker than usual.
The drive was silent. I kept my music off, not chancing a missed phone call. Wiping the tears away, my sadness was replaced with determination. Now was not the time to be emotional and fearful. There was something much more important to accomplish: finding Myles and ensuring he was safe.
My hands gripped the steering wheel, the sweat building on my palms, increasing my anxiety as I got closer to the destination.
Automatically, my brights turned on as I entered aneven darker, more windy part of the mountain roads. It felt like the Twilight Zone out here, with nothing in sight besides rows of pine trees lining the edges of the street and the night sky.
