Page 61 of Inseparable
It’s Saturday night, and we’re at Mona’s celebrating Josh’s eighteenth birthday. Ayden’s happy, which is a rare occurrence these days, laughing and joking with his buddies while keeping me tucked protectively in to his side.
“Sorry I’m late,” Gabi informs us, scooting over in the other side of the booth alongside me. “Mom’s car broke down, and she was late getting home. I couldn’t leave the two nightmares by themselves.” Gabi’s mom remarried a few years ago, and her twin brothers are only two. She places her order quickly and then turns to me with a sympathetic smile. “How are you feeling?”
My forehead creases in confusion. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Ow!” Gabi bends down, sweeping a hand over her shin. “What the eff?” She glares at Mariah, and Mariah sends daggers across the table.
All the tiny hairs on the back of my neck lift. “What’s going on?” My eyes jump between Gabi and Mariah, and by the way Madisyn is staring at her feet in fascination I’m guessing she’s in on the secret too.
“Nothing.” Gabi gulps, gratefully accepting her soda from the waitress and sucking noisily on the straw.
I eyeball Mariah. “Just tell me.” Her eyes flit to Ayden, and I look up. He’s scowling at her, shaking his head, and mouthing something. My eyes narrow to slits. “What is it? What are you hiding?”
“Nothing, babe.” He presses a kiss to my temple. “Chill.”
The waitress arrives, distributing our food, and all conversation is temporarily halted. The guys start eating, but over on our side of the table it’s still deathly quiet. Easing out from under Ayden’s arm, I cross my arms, glaring at my friends. “Unless you’re planning on never speaking to me again, I’d suggest someone tells me what the hell is going on right now.”
Mariah drills a look at Ayden, lifting her shoulders, and tossing her hair back defiantly. “She deserves to know.” Her expression softens as she faces me. “Devin’s gone.”
A messy ball of emotion lodges in my throat. “What? What do you meangone?”
Ayden curses, throwing down his napkin. “For God’s sake, Mariah, I told you I’d tell her later.”
I elbow him in the ribs. “Let me out.”
“Babe.”
“Don’t babe me,” I yell. “Let me out. I’m going home.”
Josh and Cody slide out of the booth, leaving room for Ayden and me to get out. They shoot him concerned looks. I stomp out of the diner without looking back. Ayden chases after me. “Lina, wait.”
“Screw you, Ayden.” I wrestle my arm out of his clutches, rounding on him. “You knew about this and you deliberately weren’t telling me?”
“He didn’t want me to tell you.”
My face drops. “What? You spoke to him?” He nods, and my heart throbs painfully in my chest. “Where’d he go? And for how long?” I whisper.
“I don’t know the answer to either of those questions. All he told me was he was leaving for a while and he wasn’t going to finish senior class here.”
“Does this have anything to do with that Merc that was parked in his driveway the other day?” I’d noticed a flashy black Merc of some type at Devin’s house all afternoon, and it wasn’t the first time either. Shortly after it had arrived, Devin had gone storming off in his truck, but I hadn’t really thought anything of it. Devinnotstorming off in his truck would raise more suspicion these days.
He shrugs, and that incenses me. “Drive me home.”
He sighs. “Come back inside, Lina. There’s nothing you can do about it now. He’s gone already.”
Tears prick my eyes. “And it’s your fault I didn’t get to say goodbye!”
His eyes burn with indignation as he stalks to his Jeep, yanking the door open. “Fine. I’ll drive you back, but I’m not staying.”
“I don’t want you to.” I sulk the entire ride, and we don’t say another word to each other.
I slam the Jeep door shut with more force than necessary, running toward Devin’s house. I thump on the door, and Lucas opens it a few minutes later. “Come in. We’ve been expecting you.”
I trail him into the kitchen, and Cameron looks up, nodding solemnly at me. He’s dressed in grubby overalls and he has a paintbrush in hand. The walls are now a fresh, buttery cream color, and the difference it makes to the room is unreal. He’s currently painting the rickety kitchen cupboards a soft blue color that works well against the yellowy-cream.
But I’m not here to discuss interior décor. “Where is he?”
Cameron nods at Lucas and he quietly leaves the room. Carefully placing the brush on top of the open can of paint, Cameron removes his gloves and washes his hands in the sink. “Would you like something to drink?” he asks over his shoulder.
