Tell Me Pretty Lies(67)

He lays on the gas, driving out of the driveway and then speeding down the long, winding road that connects Heartbreak Hill to town. A few minutes in, Thayer’s hand slides between my legs, gripping the inside of my thigh. That little gesture makes me feel unexpectedly emotional. Memories of Thayer driving us around aimlessly for hours with one hand on the wheel and the other on my thigh pop into my mind, making me miss how it used to be. We thought things were complicated back then when our only worry was being found out. What I’d give to go back to the way we were, to have just one more day of all of us together.

I don’t know how much time passes—at least an hour—maybe more, when I finally realize where we’re going.

“Amherst?” I look over at him, raising a brow. I know he goes to school here—sometimes, anyway—I just don’t know why he brought me here.

“You hungry?” He pulls into a parking space in front of a café with a black awning that reads The Black Sheep Deli & Bakery.

“Starved.” Confused, but starved. He cuts the engine and we both get out, walking up to the café. Thayer opens the door and I head in first, taking in the cases of pastries and baked goods. Above those are blackboard menus with the day’s specials written in neon colors.

“Have you ever been here?” I ask, scanning the menu.

“Where the hell have you been hiding?” some guy with an apron asks behind us, slapping Thayer on the shoulder. I guess that answers my question.

“Back home,” he says, not offering more of an explanation than that. The man glances at me, folding his tattooed arms over his chest before sending Thayer a knowing look.

“Hey, Home. Nice to meet you. I’m Brax.” He holds out his hand and I shake it while Thayer rolls his eyes.

“I’m Shayne.”

“You guys hungry? What are you having?” he asks Thayer. “Turkey club and a coffee?” That’s oddly specific. He must come here a lot if they know his order by heart.

Thayer looks to me. “What do you want?”

“That sounds good to me.”

“Make that two. With a side of ranch and a pink lemonade for her.”

“Got it,” Brax says, walking behind the counter.

I bite my cheek to hide an amused smile as we slide into a booth, Thayer on one side, me on the other.

“Don’t look at me like that. So I remembered what you like to drink. Big deal.”

And the fact that I like to dip my sandwiches in ranch. But I let it slide. “So, you brought me almost two hours away for sandwiches?”

Thayer shoves a hand through his hair, seeming uncomfortable, and that’s when it hits me. Oh my God. Is Thayer trying to take me on a date? “Thought you might like to go somewhere we could let our guard down.”

“It’s perfect,” I assure him. And it is. It’s so fucking perfect, because this right here is all I’ve ever wanted. To go somewhere and just be without everyone’s eyes on us, picking apart our every move.

Our food comes quickly, and I don’t waste any time digging in. We eat in silence, and even though it feels good to be with Thayer, my guilty conscience gnaws at me. I still haven’t brought up Christian. Or meeting with my brother. Not that I’m doing anything wrong by talking to my own brother, but Grey is a point of contention between Thayer and me.

“I saw Grey,” I say, fidgeting with the tip of my straw. Thayer tenses, pushing his empty plate to the center of the table.

“Yeah?”

I nod. “He wouldn’t take my calls, so I showed up at his dorm.” I lean forward, my elbows resting on top of the table. “He admitted to having an argument with Danny, but he swears he had nothing to do with it.”

“Well, what a relief,” he says, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Now I can sleep at night. Do you know many people who would confess to murder, Shayne?”

I flinch at the word murder.

“I think…” I hesitate, feeling conflicted as Thayer waits in silence for me to spit it out. “I think he’s hiding something from me.”

I wait for him to spit out another sarcastic remark at the very least. What I don’t expect is for him to reach into his back pocket to pull out his wallet and throw a fifty down onto the table.

“Let’s go.”

Thayer rises from the booth and heads for the door, not bothering to wait for me or to say goodbye to his friend. I follow him out, kicking myself for bringing it up now and ruining whatever this is. Things were good for two whole seconds, and I had to self-sabotage like an idiot. Thanks, Dad, whoever you are.

Thayer’s already in the car when I get outside. I slide into the passenger seat, and he takes off without a word. I stay quiet, letting him process or cool off or whatever it is that he needs to do, leaning my forehead against the cool window. Five minutes later, we’re pulling into an apartment complex. I look over at him in question when he pulls into a spot and throws the car into park. He opens the door and gets out of the car, then ducks back down when I haven’t made a move to get out.

“You coming?”

I step out of the car, closing the door behind me as I take in the tall foreboding building. Thayer heads for the entrance and I follow his lead inside the building, through the lobby, and into an elevator. “Where are we?”

The elevator halts, and we step out into the hall. Thayer comes to a stop in front of one of the doors and sticks a key into the lock. “My place.” Pushing the door open, he gestures for me to go in first.