Without You

Page 64

She avoided my question about Blake.
I didn’t text her back. I watched as she looked down at her phone every few seconds. She pushed it back into her pocket and turned to say something to Blake. His smile dropped, and he motioned for them to head inside Duren Hall. I watched them walk through the door to the building.
I waited a few seconds and followed, but then an older woman at the front desk stopped me.
“Who are you here to see?”
“Grace. Grace Johnson.”
“Is she expecting you?”
I nodded my head.
She picked up the phone and hit a number. “Miss Johnson, are you expecting a—”
“Will Hayes.”
“Will Hayes? Okay, very well.” She hung up the phone and smiled. “Do you know how to get up there?”
I smiled. “Yes, ma’am, I do.”
I made my way over to the elevator. I hit the button for Lex’s floor and took in a few deep breaths. When I stepped off the elevator, I heard Lex’s and Blake’s voices.
“Doesn’t seem like he really makes an effort to come visit you, Alex.”
“Blake, you don’t know Will. He would be here every weekend if he could.”
“Can you trust him? I mean, what if he’s seeing someone else?”
“No, he wouldn’t do that. He made me a promise. Why are you trying to plant doubt in my head, Blake?”
“What about us, Alex?”
What. The. Fuck?
“What do you mean, Blake? There is no us. We’re friends, and that’s it.”
“That night at my birthday party, you didn’t dance with me like you wanted to be just my friend, Alex.”
My knees about gave out on me, and I felt sick to my stomach.
“From the way you look at me sometimes, I can see you’re confused about your feelings. I want to be more than friends, Alex.”
I looked around the corner to see Lex leaning against the wall with that fucker practically on top of her.
“Blake, I love Will. I love him more than anything. I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not confused about a few things. I keep hearing my father’s voice in my head, telling me to experience new things and new people, but…”
I moved and leaned against the wall. Lex, why?
“Then, experience them, Alex. Just because he was your first love—”
“Blake…please.”
“You’re gonna see him tomorrow, Alex, and all will be good for a few weeks. Maybe you need a break from Will.”
I waited to hear her response, but all I heard was silence. I pushed off the wall and made my way around the corner. I began walking up to them. When I saw Alex put her hand on Blake’s chest, I balled up my fists, but I kept walking.
“Blake, I can’t do this right now. I have to call—”
“Lex?” I called out.
She dropped her hand, and Blake took a step away from her. She looked at me, and her mouth dropped open.
“I guess I showed up at the wrong time…or maybe it was the right time,” I said.
She shook her head. “Will, what are you doing here?”
She let a smile move across her face as she began walking up to me. She went to hug me, but I put my hands up and took a step back.
“You made me promise you, Lex.”
She looked confused. “What?”
“How long have you had feelings for him?”
Blake walked up and went to say something to me.
I pointed to him. “You stay the fuck away from me, asshole. I heard everything you two just said to each other. If you value your life, you’ll leave right now.”
Blake held up his hands and took a few steps back.
“Wait, Will. Let me explain what you heard.”
I looked down at Lex. She looked scared, panicked almost. Of course she did. She’d just been caught with another guy.
“I don’t need you to explain it, Alex.”
She let a sob escape her mouth. “Will, please don’t call me Alex. Please just let me talk to you alone. Please.”
“I heard it all. You’re confused. Daddy’s telling you to experience other people. That’s what you want. That night of the party, you were wasted, weren’t you? You said you’d passed the fuck out. What happened between you two?” I looked at Blake and then back at Lex.
She began shaking her head faster as she wiped away her tears. “Nothing! My God, Will, I’d never do that to you.”
I took a step closer to her and leaned down. “I just heard him say how the two of you were dancing, Alex. I heard it with my own ears.”