When I finally climb out of bed, there’s a set of Jeep keys on the kitchen counter with a note that says, You’d better use these.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Two weeks go by. Some days drag, other pass fast. I work. I go to the beach with Sloane. I go to my parents’ house for a Fourth of July barbeque. I have brunch with Noah. I even get a drink with Miranda Hendrix after she texts me an invitation to.

None of it distracts me from the Gray-shaped hole in my life.

It’s a Tuesday. I’m sprawled out on the couch, surrounded by an array of food meant to ensure I won’t need to get up for a few hours. Sloane is at work, so I revel in my messy tendencies. I’m binging some high school television drama and crunching corn chips when my phone rings. Unknown Caller flashes across the screen.

It’s likely spam, but I answer anyway. “Hello?”

“Evie?”

I sit straight up, pillows falling and chips flying. For a second, I can’t speak. Then questions rush out in a torrent. “Gray? Oh my God, is everything okay? Are you hurt? Did something—”

“I’m fine.” There’s a smile in his voice. He’s pleased by my panic—that I was worried about him. He clears his throat. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. I just had some time. So, I thought I’d call.”

“Oh.” That’s all I say. All I can say. My mind is spinning too fast to formulate sentences. Words. I need words.

Seconds pass before he says my name again. It’s another question. This time, there’s an uncomfortable edge. Of uncertainty. Maybe even some nerves. Nothing like the assurance I expect from him.

“Yeah, I’m here. Sorry. I’m just…shocked, I guess. I didn’t think you would call. I didn’t even know if you could.”

“I wanted to hear your voice.”

I tuck away the sound of those six words in his voice. To the special spot where I store moments I know I never want to forget. “You’re okay, right?”

“Yeah. Just…tell me about your day.”

“I woke up two hours ago and have been watching teen televisions dramas while eating junk for the past hour and fifty-five minutes, give or take.”

He chuckles, and my chest warms like I downed a cup of cocoa. “What did you do yesterday, then?