Page 105 of Lovestrung

“Huh. All right, have it your way. But can you tell me why Ethan’s blowing up my cell with texts every hour?”

I tightened my hold on my phone. “He’s doing what?”

“Yeah,” he drawled, “apparently, he’s under the impression that I’m privy to your whereabouts these days instead of him.”

“Oh, no,” I whispered.

“Oh, yes. Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?”

Cringing, I fell back on my bed. “I’d really rather not.”

“Pen, come on. Wait, I don’t have to make good on my promise to beat him to a pulp, do I? Has he hurt you?”

“Only my heart,” I sighed and frowned. “And no, don’t go beat him up, for God’s sake. This isn’t high school, Max.”

“Well, thank Christ for that,” he huffed. “But, seriously, Pen? Whatever’s going on, you better fix it, and fix it fast. The dude sounds like he’s on fucking crack. Or that he’s about to become a ghost, and that’s even worse.”

That didn’t sound like Ethan at all. Knowing what I did now about his family history, I understood why he wouldn’t drink anything with alcohol, not even a beer. Ethan on crack? No freaking way.

“What do you mean?”

“Call. Him. Today,” he urged before he hung up on me.

“Shit,” I whispered. Frantic with worry, I scrolled to my contacts, unblocked Ethan’s number, and then my heart started to race as the thing vibrated in my hand, notifying me of one text after the other. When it finally stopped, I blinked at the final number.

“Thirty-nine texts?!” I muttered, incredulous by the sheer number. “He’s nuts.”

I ignored each one and called him instead.

“Penelope?”

Crap.

Just hearing his voice say my name again was enough to make my heart do cartwheels in my chest. It had been a week, damn it. Why did it take so little to make me swoon at his feet?

“Penelope, are you there? Hang on.”

Wild barking could be heard in the background but then the noise faded away. I guessed he must’ve walked to another room.

“Why and what are you doing that has Max so worried about you?” I rambled.

“What?”

“You heard me, Ethan. What’s going on?”

“For fuck’s sake, Pen, you won’t text or call me back. I’m going crazy over here.”

“Please don’t…”

My breath came out faster now that I’d broken the silence between us. I could feel the wall around my heart crumble, but I couldn’t let it.

Could I?

“Ethan, stop harassing Max, okay? I’ve got to go.”

“So, tell me this,” he interrupted. “The real reason you’re calling is because Max told you to?”

I hated the sound of the humorless laugh that rumbled in my ear. There was absolutely no warmth to be heard in his voice now. Instead, there was only cold, hard steel, and it broke me a little bit more.