“Alright, look. Seriously. I didn’t do a damn thing. But while she was sleeping, or I thought she was sleeping, Brandt came over. I was cooking breakfast and we were just talking. You know… guy talk. And I think she might have heard the first part of the conversation, then got mad and left before she heard me clarify with the second part. She got it totally out of context. I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. And now she’s gone.”
“What did you say?” Analise asked.
Barron sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets as he tried to see further into their home. “Is she here?”
“What did you say?” Analise asked again, more slowly this time.
“It was a whole conversation! She heard only part of it.”
“What part of it?” Analise asked.
“The part where I said that claiming her was only temporary because she runs. And that the only way I could make myself go through with it was because I knew it was temporary. But that’s not really what I said, but I’m pretty sure she thinks that’s what I said.”
Analise’s brows raised and she stood perfectly still, her eyes staring disbelievingly into Barron’s.
“But it’s out of context! I also said that I had to believe that it was temporary because she’d have scented a lie if I’d have admitted to myself that it was a big damn lie.”
“So, you claimed her, then you said stupid shit to Brandt, and she heard you and left, and now you’re trying to make everybody believe that you didn’t say what you said,” Analise snapped.
“Analise! You don’t understand! It was only a lie because I promised her that if she wasn’t happy at the end of us trying to be together, that I’d let her go. And that’s the lie. I knew if I didn’t give her a safe way out she’d never agree to be with me at all. She has to be in control! So I let her think she has control. But she doesn’t! I’m not letting her go anywhere. Not ever!”
Analise reached out and curled her fingers around the edge of her door, all while maintaining eye contact with Barron, then slammed it forcefully closed.
“Oh, come on, Analise!” Barron shouted. He knocked on the door urgently. “Open the door!”
Havoc opened the door just enough to show a sliver of his eye peeking out through the crack. “Go away. ‘Lise is pissed.”
“Yeah, but can you see why it could be taken out of context?”
“Even if Emmalyn had heard the whole thing, she’d have been pissed. She does not like to be played. And if she only heard part of it, she’s probably headed back to Atlanta,” Havoc said.
“Why? Why does this keep getting harder and harder?” Barron half-shouted.
“Why did you have to say what you did?”
“I was having a completely honest conversation with Brandt. Nothing I said was bad. Everything I said pointed to how much she means to me and the lengths I’d go to to have her at my side.”
“Whether she likes it or not.”
“Will you just tell her to come down here so I can talk to her?”
“She’s not here.”
“Come on, Havoc. I know the first place she always goes is to Analise.”
“I kid you not, Barron. She’s not here. Our phones haven’t rung. She’s not here.”
“Well, maybe she’s been in contact with Analise,” Barron said hopefully, tapping his temple.
“Since Analise is upstairs on the phone with her mother trying to figure out where Emmalyn could be, I doubt it.”
“Sonofabitch,” Barron mumbled. “I have to find her,” he said, turning away from Havoc’s door and starting down the stairs.
“If I hear anything I’ll let you know,” Havoc said before quietly closing the door.
~~~
Couple of hours later Emmalyn woke to an incessant buzzing irritatedly yanking her back into consciousness. She felt around within the blankets for her phone, blinking her bleary eyes to try to focus on it better once she found it. Intentionally ignoring the twenty-three text messages from Barron, and fifteen from Brandt, she scrolled right to the ones from Analise, laughing when she read the first one.
