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“Will it?” My heart cracked. “He… he threatened Nix, Celeste. He lied to both of us. Do you have any idea what that did to me?”
Thinking Nix had abandoned me had ruined me. Wrecked me in a way even I hadn’t expected. Losing my mom didn’t come close to what it felt like to lose Nix. In a world where I’d never quite fit in, he was my anchor. My North Star. Losing that had been like losing a part of myself. A vital piece of my heart. Without it, I’d felt lost. Drowning in darkness.
“Harleigh?”
Jerking out of the maudlin thoughts, I forced a weak smile. “Sorry.”
“You could say you’re going out with me, Miles, and Nate.”
“I don’t want to use Nate like that, it isn’t fair.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit awkward.”
“What?”
“Well…” She bit her lip. “I’m pretty sure he likes you.”
My heart sank. “No he doesn’t.” But the words were like ash on my tongue because I had sensed something earlier when he’d given me a ride home.
“Don’t worry. He knows you belong to Nix.”
Nix.
Just the sound of his name made my heart swell. But it frayed around the edges, straining with all the pain we’d endured.
All because of him.
My father.
Anger rose inside of me, an unrelenting tsunami, gathering speed and strength. My fingers curled into a fist.
“Harleigh…” Celeste said softly. “You’re growling.”
“I’m…” She was right. A low keening sound rumbled in my chest.
“You’re angry.”
“Angry doesn’t even begin to cover what I feel toward him.” My body vibrated with restless energy.
“We should get out of here. Come on.” She held out her hand and I stared at it like it was contagious. “You need a distraction. Sitting here stewing on things isn’t going to help anything.”
“Where will we go?”
“Does it matter?” Her brow quirked up.
“Fine.” I stood. “But we should probably avoid your dad and Max.”
Because I felt… wrong.
I felt like I might explode at any second and do something stupid.
Concern flashed in Celeste’s eyes but she schooled her expression. “I have an idea. Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.” She was one of the few people I trusted.
“Then let’s get out of here.”
The second Celeste headed toward The Row, I knew I’d made a huge mistake.
