Blake’s stomach twisted, and that heavy feeling of desolation gathered again.
What the hell was James doing here?
When he stepped outside, he found James leaning against his SUV.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Blake kept his gaze cool and his words calm.
James straightened. “Haven’t heard from you in a while. Figured I’d stop by and see how you’re doing.”
“I’m great.”
“You don’t look great. You look like shit.”
What would be great was if everyone would stop remarking on how awful he looked.
“Thanks, asshole.” His words held no hostility as he flashed his friend a hard smile. “I just got off a long shift and am pretty tired.”
“Sure that’s the only reason?”
“Whatever you’re passive-aggressively trying to get at—”
“Why haven’t you called Kris? Texted?”
It was like a punch to the gut. A raw, pained laugh escaped him, and Blake shook his head. “We’re really going to have this conversation? Look, when someone makes it clear they want nothing to do with you, then you leave them alone. Otherwise, it’s called stalking.”
A look of confusion flitted across his friend’s face. “I don’t follow. Kris was really into you.”
“If she’d really been into me, she wouldn’t have run back to Nevada and hooked up with another guy immediately.”
“What?” James gave a terse shake of his head. “No way. You must be confused.”
“Tori told me.”
James’s laugh was harsh. “I wouldn’t trust a thing she—”
“She also showed me a texted picture of the two of them.”
There was a pause before he sighed. “Really? All I know is that when I spoke to Kris and then brought you up, I think she started crying.”
A mingle of unease and doubt settled in his stomach.
“Did you ever talk to her after she ran from the apartment?”
No. He hadn’t. He’d been giving her space. And when she hadn’t replied to his texts and then when he’d seen that pic of her with another guy, he’d given up.
He shook his head.
Fuck.
He’d given her up.He didn’t even try and fight for her. Like she was just another girl he’d slept with and intended to move on from. Because he didn’t do serious. Not after the accident.
He closed his eyes, regret working a thorny path through his blood.
“You said you spoke to her? Is she here?”
“Here? No, man, she’s in Nevada.”
Nevada. He nodded slowly.