As she takes a few steps, the top box wobbles, and I spring into action, grabbing it from her. Maybe she doesn’t want my help, but she’s getting it.
“Thanks!”
Our gazes lock, and my footsteps falter, surprised at who I find buried behind the containers. “Mia?”
She looks equally stunned as her gaze widens and her body stills. “Colton.” There’s a pause as she forces out a greeting. “Hey.”
Silence descends as we stare. It’s like neither of us know what to say. Just when the situation turns awkward, she clears her throat. “So...you live here?” An unenthusiastic note tinges her voice, and I realize she’s probably praying that turns out not to be the case.
Unfortunately, I’m going to have to burst that bubble.
“Yeah.” I point to the end of the hall. “Last door on the left.”
Her lips sink at the corners as she reluctantly stares in that direction. “Oh.”
Mia and I grew up together. I’ve known her since elementary school. We’ve never had a problem, although she definitely became more standoffish after my breakup with Alyssa. It’s not like I can blame her for feeling that way. I guess that’s what happens when you dick over someone’s best friend. You become a permanent fixture on their shit list.
I jerk my head in the same direction. “Your place is over there, too?”
“Yeah.” Her lips do more than just sink at the edges. They bow into a full-blown frown. Every thought and emotion is there to see as it flickers across her expressive face.
We both realize why this has the potential to be a powder keg of a situation.
Don’t ask about her, asshole.
Don’t you dare do it.
It’s been eighteen months since our breakup, but who’s counting?
By now, I should have moved on. Alyssa Williams should be nothing more than a blip in my past. One of the many girls that I’ve screwed. But that’s the last thing she’ll ever be. No matter how much I’ve tried to eradicate her from my brain, she’s still there, gnawing away gleefully at the back of it. What I’ve come to understand during the time Alyssa has been gone is that she will never be just a girl.
She’ll always be the girl.
The one I forced away because I was too chicken shit to open myself up and risk being hurt again. If I have any brains whatsoever, I’ll assist Mia to her door and pretend there isn’t a past sitting uncomfortably between us.
Easier said than done.
“So...Alyssa?” I wince as the words shoot from my mouth. “Is she back yet?” The possibility of her staying in London for our last year at Wesley has my heart constricting painfully in my chest. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been mentally counting down the weeks until her return. I’m not even sure what the point is. After the way I blew up our relationship, it’s doubtful she’ll ever look at me again, much less engage in idle conversation.
It’s not a surprise when Mia’s expression becomes shuttered, and she glances away. Her lips press into a tight line, and I wonder if she’ll brush off the question.
Hell, maybe she’ll tell me to go fuck myself.
Anything is possible.
After a long stretch of silent moments, she finally grumbles, “Not yet.”
“But she’ll return to Wesley for the fall semester?”
She huffs out a breath. “Yeah.”
If Mia thinks I’m at all deterred by her begrudgingly given responses, she’s mistaken. “Is she living here, too?”
The dark-haired girl’s brows slide together as she glares. “Yeah. Are you finished with your grand inquisition? Can I move on with my life now?”
Once I’ve confirmed Alyssa’s living arrangements, everything inside me loosens, and I can finally breathe again. Air rushes into my lungs. Until this very moment, I didn’t realize how oxygen deprived I’d become. It feels like I’ve been submerged beneath the water indefinitely. Only now am I able to fight my way to the surface and break through to the other side.
Mia mutters something indecipherable under her breath and stalks down the hallway before I can grill her for more information. Since my legs are almost twice as long as hers, it only takes a moment to catch up. She stops one door short of mine before shifting the boxes in her arms and attempting to dig around in her front pocket.
“Here, give them to me.”
“No, thanks,” she huffs, clearly irritated by my presence. Usually, this kind of ire is reserved solely for Beck.
“Come on, Mia. Don’t be stubborn. Let me help.”
She shoots me another steely-eyed glare. “I suppose giving in is the quickest way to get rid of you.”
“There you go.” I flash her a grin. “Just focus on the positives.”
She snorts before rising to her tiptoes and stacking the containers on top of the one I’m already holding. Then she slides the key from her pocket before shoving it in the lock and turning the handle.
With her back propping open the door, she stretches out her arms. “I’ll take it from here.”
“I got it. Just tell me where you want them.” Feeling nosy as fuck, I saunter into the apartment.
She points to the living room/dining room combination. “Set them down anywhere over there.”
I do as she asks before straightening to my full height and glancing around. There are boxes stacked everywhere. I’m overwhelmed just looking at the place. It will take weeks to put away all this stuff. Even though I know she’ll turn me down flat, I can’t resist throwing out the offer. “You want some help with all of this? I’ve got a few hours to kill before I need to head back to the stadium.”
She releases a long breath, all the while surveying the cardboard shantytown that has sprung up on the outskirts of the living room. For a moment, I almost wonder if she’s actually considering the question. But then she shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just take it a little bit at a time.”
I shift my weight from one foot to the other. “You sure? I’m willing to lend a hand.”
Her voice softens, losing some of its rigidity. “I appreciate the offer, but no.”
Since I wasn’t expecting a different outcome, I shrug. Hell, I’m kind of surprised she didn’t toss me out on my ear as soon as I set the boxes on the floor. “All right then.” I meander to the door. “Guess now that you live here, I’ll see you around.”
As I cross over the threshold, Mia’s voice stops me in my tracks. “Colton?”
I turn and meet her steady gaze. “You should know that Alyssa has moved on.”
And just like that, I’m shoved beneath the glassy surface of the water again and can’t breathe. Mia’s words shouldn’t cause me a moment of heartache. If anything, relief should be pumping through my body.
That’s the outcome I was hoping for, right?
It’s the reason I pushed her away in the first place.
But...that’s not the way I feel.
Unable to utter a sound, I jerk my head into a tight nod before slipping from the apartment and into the hallway.
Chapter Fourteen
Colton
“We’re late,” Beck mutters, hastening his step as we move through the lobby of our apartment building before pushing through the glass doors and into the sunshine, “and I’m in no mood to run suicides.”