With a quiet huff, I immediately stuff my trash into one of the paper bags, making to leave. In protest that nobody except Connor is attuned to, I grab his half-empty fry box, throw it in with the rest of the trash and pretend not to hear his grumblings over not being finished.
A phone pings behind me, followed by Reagan’s voice. “My mom’s on her way up. She brought me a change of clothes.”
Perfect timing.
“We’ll get out of your hair then,” I offer as I collect all the remaining trash.
“Oh damn!” Drew shrieks. All heads in the room turn. “I wasn’t even thinking. Gretch, where are you staying? Did you get a hotel?” He reaches for his wallet. “Here, take my credit card.”
“What? Drew, stop. It’s fine. I’m staying with Connor.” Matter of fact. Nothing to be worried about. This is totally normal.
Drew hesitates and then looks at his best friend.
“It’s fine, man. She can stay with me as long as she needs,” Connor says. His voice sounds much more natural than mine.
“But you don’t have a?—”
“I’m sleeping on the couch, she has the bedroom. Everything’s fine.”
The lie doesn’t go down as easy with me as it seems to for Connor, but I know it’s unavoidable in this moment.
“Yeah, right,” Drew acquiesces. “Thanks, man.”
We pass Reagan’s mom in the hallway on our way out and exchange quick hugs before going our separate ways. When Connor and I finally settle into the elevator and the doors close, we both let out a breath of relief.
Pinned on opposite sides, we’re as far apart as two people can be in a space this small. I rake my teeth across my bottom lip as I recount the last exchange with my brother. It was all a lie.
Chewing on my thumbnail, I worry that single deception will make things worse when Connor finally tells him. My phone pings in my pocket. I grab it and swipe up to view the text.
Connor
Stop it.
My previous mental spiral fades into the rearview in an instant.
Me
Buzzkill
Connor
Beautiful
Me
Can I help you?
Connor
Needed to see you smile.
Me
Mission accomplished.
Thank you.
Connor
