peanut butter was too sticky.”
“Oh my god,” Viv muttered. “When does it
end
?”
“She just needs attention,” Jewel said, a note of understanding making it sound affectionate.
She’s just annoying
, Viv thought. But she supposed everyone made excuses for the people they loved. She wondered what kind of excuses Henley made for her.
Jewel coughed some rubies into her handkerchief, then tipped them into a shot glass. “I don’t like the idea of you being in the underworld by yourself. You should bring me with you. Get another opinion.”
Viv nodded. “I’ll try to get you an invitation.”
“Good.”
Henley came back from the bathroom wearing the change of clothes he kept in his truck: a
Silva Landscaping
T-shirt and shorts. He sat down next to Viv at the breakfast bar, the wooden chair creaking as he dropped into it. He looked tired, like the shower had worn him out. Like it had given him too much time to think.
His hair and the back of his neck were wet, and Viv ran her fingers over his nape to wipe the water droplets off. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
“You know what I find pretentious?” Luxe said. “Bears eating porridge. Bears are supposed to eat salmon. What the hell?”
Jewel went over and squished into the armchair next to Luxe, pulling her girlfriend against her like she was a big doll. “You’re right. Those bears were totally obnoxious. They deserved it when you wrecked their house.”
“Thank you,” Luxe said.
“You guys want to watch a movie with us?” Jewel asked.
Viv weighed the annoyance of watching a movie with Luxe—who was bound to complain that the volume was too loud (or too quiet), the plot was too predictable (or too confusing)—against leaving, when leaving would mean being alone with Henley, awkwardly silent and haunted by their exchange:
I don’t own you
.
Yes, you do, Viv. You know you do
.
Viv took her hand off his neck, touched his scarred knuckles instead. “Are you okay to stay for a while?”
He shrugged. “If you want.”
Jewel and Luxe were curled up in the armchair, so Viv andHenley took the couch. There was plenty of room to spread out, but Viv leaned her head on his shoulder, and Henley put his arm around her, and they didn’t talk about it, didn’t say a word about how reckless it was to be over but not over.
They were like a firecracker that had burned up. The pretty picture, the sparkling moment was gone; they were just smoke and ashes now.
In a few hours, Viv would be getting dressed in her
Inferno
-themed outfit, clutching her invitation, waiting to utter the word
yes
so the silver marks would appear on her arms. She’d wait for Night to summon her, and then she’d step through a door to the underworld and dance all night with the boy who was meant to be her future. Every turn on the dance floor would be like kissing Henley good-bye.
She curled up with him and pretended they were a normal couple, that they were their old selves. It was amazing what you could believe when you wanted to.
Viv closed her eyes, relaxed into the gentle sensation of his fingers against her hair, steady and calm, like a heartbeat when nothing was wrong. She wrapped her arm around his chest as if she could hold on to that feeling. He was precious to her in moments like this, and it made hurting him seem like something she would never do, instead of something she always did. She regretted so much.…
Just end it
, she told herself
. Be good to him for once
.
But she didn’t.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“IT’S ALL RIGHT. You can come in. She’s gone.”
Henley was surprised Regina was even awake at this hour. It was close to midnight, and the house was dark and still. She stood with her hip against the doorframe, her hair spilling over one shoulder.
The garden was restless with the hum of insects, the rustling of nocturnal animals making their way across the grass. He’d come to see Viv, and he’d been lurking below her balcony, trying to
“Oh my god,” Viv muttered. “When does it
end
?”
“She just needs attention,” Jewel said, a note of understanding making it sound affectionate.
She’s just annoying
, Viv thought. But she supposed everyone made excuses for the people they loved. She wondered what kind of excuses Henley made for her.
Jewel coughed some rubies into her handkerchief, then tipped them into a shot glass. “I don’t like the idea of you being in the underworld by yourself. You should bring me with you. Get another opinion.”
Viv nodded. “I’ll try to get you an invitation.”
“Good.”
Henley came back from the bathroom wearing the change of clothes he kept in his truck: a
Silva Landscaping
T-shirt and shorts. He sat down next to Viv at the breakfast bar, the wooden chair creaking as he dropped into it. He looked tired, like the shower had worn him out. Like it had given him too much time to think.
His hair and the back of his neck were wet, and Viv ran her fingers over his nape to wipe the water droplets off. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
“You know what I find pretentious?” Luxe said. “Bears eating porridge. Bears are supposed to eat salmon. What the hell?”
Jewel went over and squished into the armchair next to Luxe, pulling her girlfriend against her like she was a big doll. “You’re right. Those bears were totally obnoxious. They deserved it when you wrecked their house.”
“Thank you,” Luxe said.
“You guys want to watch a movie with us?” Jewel asked.
Viv weighed the annoyance of watching a movie with Luxe—who was bound to complain that the volume was too loud (or too quiet), the plot was too predictable (or too confusing)—against leaving, when leaving would mean being alone with Henley, awkwardly silent and haunted by their exchange:
I don’t own you
.
Yes, you do, Viv. You know you do
.
Viv took her hand off his neck, touched his scarred knuckles instead. “Are you okay to stay for a while?”
He shrugged. “If you want.”
Jewel and Luxe were curled up in the armchair, so Viv andHenley took the couch. There was plenty of room to spread out, but Viv leaned her head on his shoulder, and Henley put his arm around her, and they didn’t talk about it, didn’t say a word about how reckless it was to be over but not over.
They were like a firecracker that had burned up. The pretty picture, the sparkling moment was gone; they were just smoke and ashes now.
In a few hours, Viv would be getting dressed in her
Inferno
-themed outfit, clutching her invitation, waiting to utter the word
yes
so the silver marks would appear on her arms. She’d wait for Night to summon her, and then she’d step through a door to the underworld and dance all night with the boy who was meant to be her future. Every turn on the dance floor would be like kissing Henley good-bye.
She curled up with him and pretended they were a normal couple, that they were their old selves. It was amazing what you could believe when you wanted to.
Viv closed her eyes, relaxed into the gentle sensation of his fingers against her hair, steady and calm, like a heartbeat when nothing was wrong. She wrapped her arm around his chest as if she could hold on to that feeling. He was precious to her in moments like this, and it made hurting him seem like something she would never do, instead of something she always did. She regretted so much.…
Just end it
, she told herself
. Be good to him for once
.
But she didn’t.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“IT’S ALL RIGHT. You can come in. She’s gone.”
Henley was surprised Regina was even awake at this hour. It was close to midnight, and the house was dark and still. She stood with her hip against the doorframe, her hair spilling over one shoulder.
The garden was restless with the hum of insects, the rustling of nocturnal animals making their way across the grass. He’d come to see Viv, and he’d been lurking below her balcony, trying to
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