“Not even Hanna?” He whispers, the sound of her name causing my hands to jerk away from him.
“No,” I sigh. “She heard me in the bathroom one day, but I lied to her.”
He sits on the corner of the bed, pulling me into his lap. “I think she knew. She didn’t want to hassle you about it, but she worried about you a lot. There were signs. We all should’ve picked up on it. We should’ve helped you.”
“No one could have helped until I was ready to help myself. I still struggle with it. Every day.”
“Are you okay right now?” He asks, pushing my hair behind my ear, “I don’t know. I’m just stressed out. I can’t help but think I’m doing something wrong, even though,” she pauses, “Even though, It feels so right.”
“I don’t want you doing this to yourself. Not after you’ve come so far. Don’t fall back into that same pattern as before. If I need to give you some space, I will.”
I sigh, “I don’t want space, Eric. I want to be with you, but we both know how complicated that really is. No matter how hard I try, I don’t see our future. All I see is goodbye. Goodbye and the heartbreak I’m going to feel when that day comes.”
“I need to talk to her,” He agrees, “I’ll talk to her, and then we will talk to her together.”
The thought makes me sick, but not as bad as the sneaking around. “When?”
“As soon as we get back. I promise, stop worrying about it.”
“I’ll try.”
“Good, because I need you to believe me when I say that everything is okay. It will be, I promise.”
I simply stare at him, speechless, as he gazes back down at me through his lashes. It’s almost as if he wants to say something else but decides against it.
His attention draws to his pocket, where the faint buzzing is coming from, and he pulls his phone out.
“Shit. I need to take this. One sec.”
He pulls the phone to his ear, “Hello?”
Looking up at the ceiling, it’s like he is anticipating bad news as he listens intently to whoever is rambling on the other line.
“You need to slow down. I can barely understand you.”
I drop his hand, stepping back. Who is Lainey? Instantly, I feel jealous. He just broke up our moment to answer a call from another woman.
“Okay. I’m coming. Do you remember where the key is?”
He runs his hand back through his hair dramatically, maybe even slightly annoyed. “Straight there, and do not leave. I’m in Charleston, but I’ll be there soon. There’s some food in the pantry if you need something in the meantime.”
He waits for acknowledgment and replies, “Love you too.”
I stand here in shock as I stare at him, watching him type furiously into his phone.
“I’m so sorry, Jolene, but I need to run home.”
“Well, is everything okay?” I ask, fishing for information.
An easy answer, I would’ve thought, but it’s as if he struggles with it. “I’m not sure.”
“Can I do anything?”
He scoffs, “Get me a new brother and my niece some new parents?”
Right. Lainey is Eric’s niece. I remember now. He’s told me about her before, and I think I’ve seen her a couple times over the years at Ellie’s birthday parties.
“Do you want me to come?”