Coming Home(94)

That she was about to lose another person she cared about.

He was the first person she had allowed past her defenses in years, and he was going away. How many times could that happen to one person? How many times would she be forced to endure it?

She didn’t know if she could survive it again.

It made her want to grab two handfuls of her hair and scream, because all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and protect him from what was coming his way. But if she did that, who would protect her?

She already cared about him so much, and it frightened her to think of how much she might feel for him if she continued down this path. Could she withstand that? Letting herself fall for him completely and then losing him? For years?

She couldn’t imagine cutting him out of her life, but at the same time, it would be incredibly foolish and careless to keep going like this. There was no right answer, and thinking of it made her feel disoriented and irritable and completely exhausted.

By the time ASH ended, Leah felt weak, like she might be coming down with the sickness she’d been lying about all day whenever people asked her what was wrong with her. She got in her car, desperate to get home and crawl into bed, but as soon as she started it up, she heard Holly’s ring tone playing from somewhere inside her purse.

Leah threw the car into reverse before she pulled the phone from her bag.

“What’s up?” she said, holding the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she craned her neck to back out of the space.

“Ughhh! I’m about to lose it. Are you done with that extra-help thing?”

“Yeah, I’m on my way home right now. What’s wrong?”

“I need your help. Can you come to Evan’s apartment?”

“Right now?” Leah asked.

“Right now.”

“Why? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m just under a time crunch and I really need your help. Please? I’ll explain when you get here.”

Leah’s shoulders dropped in defeat as she exhaled softly. This day was never going to end.

“Alright. I’ll be there in like fifteen minutes.”

“Oh thank God,” Holly said as she exhaled. “Okay, see you then.”

Leah ended the call and tossed her phone into her bag. She pulled off the road and made a U-turn, hoping Holly would be a better distraction than work had been.

About twenty minutes later, Leah walked up to Evan’s front door, stopping as she heard a muted thud followed by Holly’s chorus of “goddamn stupid-ass motherf*cking piece of shit!”

Leah smiled her first genuine smile of the day before she knocked softly.

“Holly?”

“Come in!” she called, and Leah opened the door and froze.

Holly was sitting in the middle of Evan’s living room, surrounded by pieces of black lacquered wood, a bunch of crumpled papers, several panes of glass, a sea of screws and bolts, and multiple screwdrivers. She looked up, her expression pathetic as she blew her bangs out of her eyes with a huff.

“Hey,” she said weakly.

“What the hell is all this?” Leah asked, and Holly dropped her face into her hands and whimpered.

“Evan’s anniversary present.”

“You got him debris?” she asked, dropping her purse on the dining room table before she tiptoed through the living room, trying not to step on anything.

“Our three-year anniversary is tomorrow, and he’s been wanting this entertainment center forever, but since we’re trying to save up to buy a place, he won’t spend the money on himself, so I wanted to surprise him, and I bought it, but I didn’t realize I’d have to put it together, and he’s gonna be home in like two hours, and I’m so totally f*cked,” she ranted, swatting at one of the crumpled pieces of paper and sending it flying across the room.