“Did someone try to get fresh with you?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Please, don’t try to be hip.”
“Well, were you on a date? Out with friends?” Nick sounded so hopeful.
I guessed I never went out. For one, I had no friends, and two, I lacked the energy to do things.
“I was on a date,” I said, knowing I was going to have to tell Nick about Gav eventually. “He had an emergency, and I wanted to finish watching the movie, so I called you instead.”
Nick seemed to process everything I’d just said. He just kept driving; then, at a light, he turned to look at me.
“I’m glad you’re going out more.”
I gave him a small nod.
The rest of the ride was in silence, right up until the house came into view, before my brother ruined my perfect little bubble.
“Scar.” His voice was hesitant, and that wasn’t a good sign. My brother wasn’t scared of anything. He was my hero.
“Yeah?” I asked nervously.
He’d somehow had found out about the nightmares, and he was going to make me go to a wellness center. Dread filled my stomach at the sight of not seeing Gavin again.
“A couple of days ago, Gigi came up to me.”
My stomach dropped, and I wanted to throw up. I forced myself to stay still because my brother didn’t know the whole story unless Gigi had told him.
“Yeah?” I heard myself say.
“She asked me for your number, said she regrets losing touch with you.”
Once my brother parked in my driveway, I absently nodded at him. “Cool. I have lots of homework to do.”
I walked up to my driveway, trying to leave all my problems behind, but they didn’t stay. Instead, I focused on Gavin and hoped he was okay. He seemed pretty shaken up, and I realized I wanted to make him feel better. I wanted to be to him what he was to me. The person who made the world stop spinning.
Fear and adrenaline coursed through my veins. They washed over me like rain. I felt them all over my body, and I couldn’t move.
“Baby, please.” I looked at my mother’s scared gaze, and a part of me knew—knew this was it.
I was so scared, I couldn’t talk.
“You need to get out.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I tried to say her name, to beg her to get out with me.
“We need to leave,” I heard a voice say outside, but everything was still so messed up.
“We can’t,” another voice cried.
I sat up on the bed; my body was shaking and sweaty. All week I’d dreamed bits and pieces of the same night, but never like today. I looked at my phone and noticed Gav hadn’t returned my texts or calls. It was past eleven, and not that late. I didn’t think; I just acted. I grabbed my keys and my phone and drove to Gavin’s house. I needed him to hold me right now. I needed him to make my world stop spinning. I got to the house, knowing he probably wasn’t there, because I called and his phone sent me to voicemail. I waited at the door before I knocked, knowing that if I did knock, I was ready to admit to him the same he had done to me at the movies.
“You’re planning to go inside?”
I jumped at the voice behind me. Quincy gave me a wave and a small smile.
“I was looking for Gavin.”
“Well, you ain’t going to find him unless you knock.”
I started to come to my senses and was going to back out, but Quincy was already opening the door.
“Come on, I’ll find Ollie. He has a spare for your boy’s room.”
Quincy took me to wait by Gavin’s door as he texted Ollie and waited with me. When Ollie came to open it, he gave me a hesitant smile.
“Is everything okay with Gavin?” I asked, now worried—more than I cared to admit.
“Yeah, something came up with a friend. I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it when he gets back.”
They left me alone in Gavin’s room, closing the door behind them. Once in his space, I felt a bit better. Smiling to myself, I went through his drawers to find a shirt to wear. In his socks and boxers drawers, I found my underwear. At least it was washed. I told myself that it made him less pervy. I was going to wear one of his university T-shirts when peeking through his closet was his team jersey.
I remembered watching Gigi on game days wearing our school colors and his number, wondering what would it feel like to wear his shirt. Before I changed, I locked the door, then took off my clothes and put on his jersey.
It had taken three years, but we had come full circle. Even in his room, I felt better with his scent around me. I decided not to text him again and just wait until he got home. I lay under the covers so I could surprise him before I gave him my heart.
When I opened my eyes, it took me a second to realize I was in Gavin’s room. I searched the bed for my cell phone.
The sun was peeking through the windows, and I had a sick feeling in my stomach. Gavin never came home, and a thousand scenarios came to mind. What if I lost him how I had lost my parents? I picked up my phone, hoping he had texted me back.
On the first second, my heart thumped like a beast in a cage when I saw the unknown number.
On the second, my mind was starting to shut down from the shirtless picture of Gavin it saw. He was lying shirtless on someone’s couch.
On the third second, whatever I had left of my heart broke, the butterflies died, and my world collapsed at the words I read.
An eye for an eye.
No more words were needed, not when Gigi had hurt me just as I had hurt her. There was a name to the sick feeling that clung to me—it was called karma.
He was mine before. He is mine again.
I didn’t know how long I stared at the picture on my phone. I was in Gavin’s frat house, wearing his shirt and nothing else. It was torture, but I couldn’t stop staring. I stayed seated on his bed, looking at the phone, when the door creaked open.
Gavin stopped dead when he saw me sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes were roaming my body. I got angry at the lust in his eyes.
“Where were you?” My voice came out hoarse.
“Scarlett,” he said, sounding like he was in pain.
“Where were you?” I asked again, this time trying to sound stronger than I felt.
He opened his mouth but closed it again.
“Don’t lie to me,” I pleaded, my voice breaking because I could see it in his stormy eyes—the guilt. I raised my phone, and his eyes widened at the picture.
“I swear to God, Scar, I wasn’t doing anything to hurt you,” he said hoarsely, looking at me pleadingly.
“Yeah? Because you lying to me and going with Gigi hurt me.” I let out a tortured laugh. “I guess I had that coming, right? Payback for what I did to her.”
“God, no,” Gav said, taking a step toward me.
“Don’t. Touch. Me.” I seethed.
“Baby, it’s not like that.”
I ignored him and went to his drawer and grabbed my underwear. Before I could put them on, Gavin took them from me and hugged me to his body.
“You don’t get to run away from me. Not anymore. I’m not letting you,” he whispered.
Funny how a place that used to offer comfort could quickly cause you pain.