Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
He’s rubbing off on me.
And that feels like a dangerous thing.
But Sev still isn’t in Sellwood’s class next time, either.
The class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and it’s Friday now.
He also never responded to my last text, and a twisting grip of shame has been eating away at me ever since.
I shouldn’t have sent the text.
And I feel like a fool as I make a vow to myself, sitting there in class paying zero attention to the French Revolution history lesson: I’m not doing anything with Sevan again. No matter how tempting it is. No matter how much I convince myself it’ll just be one more time.
At the root of it, I feel like I’ve been betraying who I really am.
I don’t want anything to do with someone like Sev Berlant. Someone who fucks with me, makes me feel things, then drops away like a ghost without even a word.
My frustration only increases throughout the rest of the day.
When I finally meet up with Niko a few hours later at the gym, I can’t help but bring up Sev.
“Your cousin’s been missing in action during class,” I say before hoisting up an intensely heavy barbell over my head.
“Sev went home this week,” Niko says, his face straining into a grimace on the leg press machine. He exhales, then finishes his set. “Went to go be with his mom.”
I drop the barbell. “Did something happen?”
“No. But Sev was worried something might happen. She’s had some issues with painkillers in the past, and apparently her voice sounded a bit suspect over the phone.”
“Fuck.”
The tight coil that’s been wrapping itself around my chest all week starts to loosen, bit by bit.
I’m… an asshole.
Making everything about myself, when Sev is actually away to support his mother.
“It’s really sad,” Niko says. “He’s kind of watching her like a hawk, apparently. Getting up each night to check that she isn’t taking too many sleeping pills or Xanax.”
“Jesus Christ,” I say, frowning. “Does she have a history of attempting an overdose?”
“She tried once.”
My heart sinks. “That’s horrible,” I say softly. “I’m… we have to do something, Niko.”
“I offered to come over yesterday after class, but you know Sev. He said he’s fine on his own, yadda yadda, just like usual. Lone wolf shit.”
“Fuck that. How far away is his mom’s house?”
Niko shrugs. “About an hour.”
“Then we can go tonight.”
“Weston, trust me, Sev doesn’t mind handling things on his own—”
“We’re going,” I say, my tone final.
12
Sev
“Oh, shoot,” Mom says when a knock comes from the front door.
“What’s the problem?”
She gets up from the couch, pulling a hair tie around her hair and bringing it into a messy bun. “It’s Betty from next door. Guarantee it. Coco digs under the fence sometimes, and when Betty finds the dog in her yard she kind of flips out.”
“Let me handle this,” I tell her.
I pause Cheers on the TV and follow Mom toward the front just as the doorbell goes off again.
“I got it, sweetie,” Mom says.
“I can also reinforce the bottom of the fence so Coco can’t dig through it. You should tell me about these things, Mom. Let me help you.”
I get to the door before she does and swing it open, steeling myself to deal with a very angry elderly woman.
“I’m sorry, Betty,” Mom’s already calling out from behind me as the door opens.
And I see two people who very much aren’t elderly women.
I see Weston first and for a moment I think I must be dreaming.
“What the fuck?” I say under my breath.
“Hi,” Weston says, looking up at me with bright eyes.
He’s holding four stacked glass Tupperware containers, each filled with something different. In a tight white T-shirt out on the front porch, he practically looks like Captain America, buff and golden and earnest.
Niko is walking up behind him, carrying more shit. It looks like he has a couple of board games in his arms as well as a pink box of donuts on top.
“Who’s Betty?” Niko asks as he steps up next to Wes.
“Niko! Honey,” Mom calls out from behind me. She pushes past me and goes to give Niko a hug. “Is this Oliver? I’ve heard about you—”
“This is not Oliver,” Niko protests immediately. “You think I’d date this guy? Hell no. This is my half-brother from my dad’s side. Weston.”
Weston gives her a sheepish smile. “I’d shake your hand, but I’ve got all this stuff.”
“Sevan, honey, you should have told me you were having people over. I’d have changed out of these rags.”
Niko rolls his eyes. “You always look stylish, Angie. Sweatpants are fine.”
“Come in, boys, come in.”
I’m still standing there like I have whiplash.
Dumbfounded.
Why the fuck is Weston Knox standing on my doorstep with a bunch of food?
Niko walks in past me and follows Mom into the kitchen, where she’s already offering him various beverages.