He blows out a breath. “Don’t listen to me. Phillips isn’t one who runs forever. He’ll be back, but…”
He doesn’t have to finish. I know exactly what he’s saying.
I put my forehead to my knees again and tears seep out of me like a faucet. Still Jax sits with me, offering no words of consolation. I prefer it that way. He’s not making any promises he knows to he can’t keep.
What feels like ten minutes goes by before a soft knock lands on the door. Jax stands. I don’t even look up. It’s probably Lyle.
Blanca sits down on one side and Sierra on the other side of me. I offer Jax a soft smile before he nods and shuts the door behind him.
“Oh, sweetie,” Sierra says, putting her arm around my shoulders.
There’s nothing they can say, so I allow them to do what girlfriends are supposed to do in situations like this. Tell me bullshit lines like I’ll get through this and he’s not worth my time. I see now what Dylan was so scared about. These two have already turned on him. He’s right—we were stupid to risk our friendship for something more.
But my heart aches as I walk out of his office with a friend on each arm, knowing I’ll probably never be back to Ink Envy. Jax sees us and follows.
“You can’t leave me responsible for the place,” Lyle frantically says to Jax.
Jax pats him on the shoulder. “Sure, I can. Tell any of my clients I had an emergency.” Jax tosses his key to Lyle. “No parties, and don’t burn the place down.”
Lyle laughs. “You sound just like a dad.”
Jax scowls. “Fuck you. That’s an insult.”
Ethan walks in and gives Blanca a kiss on the cheek.
“Where are you going?” she asks.
“We’re going after Dylan.”
“Let him rot,” Sierra says.
I squeeze her hand for being a protective friend, but I don’t want Dylan suffering out there by himself.
“Do you know where he would’ve gone?” I ask.
Jax eyes Ethan as Knox, Seth, and Adrian join the party in the waiting room.
“You’re going too?” Sierra asks Adrian.
“Take me with you,” I say, leaving the arms of my friends.
Knox steps in front of me, blocking my way. “Let us talk to him first, okay? We’ll text you when we find him.”
I nod.
“Who rides with who?” Seth asks.
“What do you mean?” Knox asks, putting on his leather coat.
“Whose bike am I on?” Seth adds.
Knox looks at Jax.
Jax raises his eyebrows. “You are not riding bitch on my bike.”
“You three can go in Adrian’s fancy car,” Knox says.
Seth’s shoulders deflate. “You guys get to act all cool on your motorcycles and I ride in the back of a Range Rover?”
Knox nods. “Get your motorcycle license and a bike and you can ride with us.”
Seth rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”
Adrian and Ethan say goodbye to their girlfriends.
Seth hugs me before they leave. “I’ll bring him back to you.” He winks.
Jax and Knox roll their eyes because I’m pretty sure they’re the ones who know where Dylan might have gone. I mouth a thank you to Jax and he nods like always. A man of few words. We watch them leave.
“Um, Rian, can we call Frankie?” Lyle distracts me as they disappear around a corner.
“I’ll run to the liquor store,” Sierra says and runs her hand down my arm.
No way we can leave Lyle in charge of Ink Envy even for a half hour. He’s clearly not ready.
As I sit on the couch in the waiting room, I remember all the times I came in here and dreamily looked at Dylan. It feels as though we’ve come so far since those moments, but now I’m lost on where we’ll end up. One thing is certain—I don’t belong in Texas. Even if Dylan returns and sells Ink Envy and disappears forever, or if we find some new normal for our friendship, or if we work out as a couple, I’m meant to be in Cliffton Heights. It’s where everyone I care about lives.
I pull out my phone and email Dr. Quinton my decision to decline the job. Just like math, I’ll narrow down my choices one by one. Eventually I’ll find the solution to my problem.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dylan
The headlight from my bike shines on Joyland’s closed sign; the S is tipped upside down. I ride down the long driveway and through the vacant parking lot that’s overgrown with weeds and grass.
Once I weave through the opening where I used to witness thousands of families anxiously waiting to get in, I stop at the pool that’s now dried up. No one has been here in years. The park was abandoned after they closed their doors due to bankruptcy. I continue on past the merry-go-round that’s missing some animals and poles over to the children’s area. I park my bike by the bumper cars and game booths, then sit up on a concrete ledge.
Rian’s blazing eyes are all I’ve seen since I left Ink Envy. Truth hurts, and Rian knew what she was talking about. I can’t deny it. What she expects from me isn’t feasible. I’m not the guy she thinks I am. And I’m sure as hell not gonna be the reason she misses out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The sound of two bikes rumbling through the park alerts me that my friends have found me. I had hoped they wouldn’t search me out or would overlook this place. I guess our time here meant a lot to them too. They stop near my bike, each cutting the engine and taking off their helmets.
“Funny meeting you here,” Jax says, climbing off his bike and hitting the kickstand.
“Why did you follow me?”
Jax sits next to me on the concrete ledge. “Someone has to talk some sense into you.”
I desperately want to ask how Rian is. Is she crying? Is she packing her bags? But I leave those questions where they should be—far out of my concern.
Knox leaves his helmet on his bike and joins us. The three of us sit in line, just like when we were younger. We’d come here for an entire day and always end up on this piece of concrete, watching the families wind down for the day as the sun set. I’d see kids fall asleep on their dads’ shoulders, or mothers cleaning faces and hands after buckling them up in the stroller. The parents exhausted but with smiles as they looked at each other with happiness in their eyes. I always envied them.
“Remember that time that dad had his son’s arm twisted behind his back?” Jax says. “The kid was, like, nine.”
I nod. “Knox jumped down and surprised him, told him if he ever saw him do something like that again, he’d find him and cut off his dick.” I glance at Knox.
He shakes his head. “I was such a punk, but hopefully nothing else happened to that kid. What about that time a mom hit on Jax?” We all laugh. “And you told her she should be watching her kids and not hitting on a high schooler unless she wanted to be arrested.”
“She just left them for anyone to kidnap,” Jax says. “What kind of mother is that?”
We saw so many different versions of parents while we sat on our perch, judging. We intervened more than we ever should have.
“Then you have Phillips, always giving his stuffed animals to the kids.” Jax’s hand clasps the back of my neck and squeezes.