A glance at my phone tells me that Emma has been in there at least ten minutes, and knowing her, she’s flirting with some guys, taking shots, or kicking someone’s ass at some video game.
I take a deep breath. I’m an adult. There’s no reason I can’t walk into my ex-boyfriend’s house and tell my best friend to get her ass in gear. And if she’s busy, I’ll call for a ride and be back in my dorm, snuggled under blankets and watching bleach fail videos within the hour. That prospect alone has me marching up the steps.
Before I can knock, the door opens, and Spencer is standing in front of me. Emma is nowhere to be seen. In fact, the whole downstairs is empty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the hockey house this free of people.
“What the heck? Where’s Emma?”
“Allegedly, they’re all in Herrera’s room watching a movie. But realistically? They’re all in the kitchen, listening to me apologize.”
“Spencer, look—”
“I know. I know you’re busy and you wanted a clean break and I get that. I don’t blame you one bit. But please, give me five minutes?” He takes his phone from his pocket and hands it to me. “Five minutes, Paige. The Ryde app is up and ready. If you want to leave, click that button and a car will be here in minutes, no questions asked. I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay, but I really want to tell you how sorry I am.”
“Five minutes,” I tell him, and then shut my mouth before I accidentally add, “Or, you know, I could just stay here forever.”
He reaches for my hand and I give it, against my better judgment. It’s warm and a little calloused, and so damn familiar, I could cry. We walk into the dining room, which is just a big room with an old table and a bunch of hockey gear stashed in the corner. Right now, though, the table is occupied by a Jenga tower, just like the one I set up all those months ago when we met. But the one in front of me is massive.
“We had to get two sets.” he shrugs. “You go first.”
I pick a tile close to the top. It readsHow was your day?I look at Spencer. “Um, this isn’t how you’re supposed to write them.” I smile, because I can't help myself.
He blushes. “Yeah, I’m kinda new at this. Humor me?”
“Sure. My day was pretty good. I switched my major to marketing and all my classes are scheduled. And I have all my books. And I talked to Jake, so that was good.”
“Marketing, huh?”
“Yeah. You kind of got me thinking in that direction a while ago. I just wasn’t sure I could make it all happen, but I’m all set to start the semester next week. I’ll have to stay for summer classes, but I’ll graduate on time.”
“That’s amazing. Seriously. I’m really happy for you.” I can tell he wants to reach for me, but he’s holding back.
“Okay. It’s your turn,” I tell him.
He smiles and inspects the tower, as though he’s looking for a certain tile. Satisfied he’s found the right one, he pulls it from the bottom with ease. The tower doesn’t even wobble. He hands it to me. This one saysHow’s your brother?
“Really good, actually. And, um, you were right. About Jake and Trevor. They’re totally dating. I guess they have been for a while, but he basically came out at my LSATs celebration dinner. Which ended up being a mess, because I decided not to go to law school. But, it’s all good now. And Megan and Nate announced they’re having a baby, so yeah.” I take a breath, realizing for the first time, how nervous I am. “You didn’t set this all up just to ask me about my day or my brother or to ramble, though, so…”
“Actually, I did. Well, there’s more but...Here, look at these.” He pulls a few random tiles, and still the tower stands. When I look, I see that they all start withHow was your day?
“Um…”
“There are thirty-seven tiles that ask how your day was, because it’s been thirty-seven days since I knew the answer to that question.”
“Spencer...” He hands me a bunch of tiles. The first one says,How was your day? Did you get your latte?The next one says,How was your day? Did you sleep well? I miss sleeping next to you.And the third says,How was your day? Did you see the Brett Marx video where he dyes his hair with Kool-Aid?
I laugh. “I did see that one.”
“Westley and I watched it and we figured you’d be horrified.”
“You know me so well,” I say, before the implication of my words hits me and hangs heavily in the air.
“I do, Paige. I know you’re the kindest, most selfless person I’ve ever met. You’re friends with literally everyone you meet, and you put everyone else’s needs above your own, especially mine. So...I made this tower to show you that you’re never far from my thoughts. And, if you can forgive me, I will always make you a priority.”
“Spencer, I don’t know what to say. I miss you so much. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”
“He had help!” a voice calls from the kitchen, and I laugh because Spence was right—they’re totally listening in right now.
He takes my hand and holds it while he pulls more tiles.
