Trying not to sound pathetic, I said, "Is the password the same as before, or…?" Stupid or not, I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence. I looked up and was startled to find Jake staring, not at the phone, but at me.
His eyes were dark, and his mouth was tight. "Youknowwhat the password is."
When I answered, my voice came out embarrassingly small. "Do I?"
"It hasn't changed." His own voice grew softer now. "It's not gonna change."
At this, I felt a pitiful surge of relief. "Really?"
"What do you think? That I’m gonna grab my phone and change the password – or shit, change how I feel about you – just because you pissed me off?"
"I pissed you off?" I tried to smile. "Funny, I hadn't noticed."
Jake swallowed, and his face, all hard angles and shadows, softened into something that melted my heart. "I was so fucking worried."
The look in his eyes hurt to see. "You were?"
He glanced down at his cell phone, still cradled in my hands. His voice grew raw. "You have no idea."
He was right. I didn't. But I was desperate to know more, so I looked down at his phone and tapped in the password. The answers had to be in there somewhere. I was sure of it.
And, as it turned out, I was right.
