“E, do you think we can stay a little longer?”

“We should go home.”

“Please?” She gives him those puppy eyes, and when he looks at me for a yes or no, I know he’ll lose the battle.

I bob my head as a seal of approval, and the noisy one hugs me as hard as she can. When she finally lets me go, I take a step back, knowing I have to hurry.

“Thank you, Indigo,” Elias says as I walk away.

I turn back and smile in response, then walk into my house. I head straight into my bedroom, the floor littered with stray clothes. I push them out of the way and get ready for the night.

Let the show begin.

CHAPTER THREE

ELIAS

“What are you going to do?” Livy asks as I inspect the tree again.

I’ve never seen this kind of species in person, but I’m familiar with its existence. What’s fascinating about it is the resin is red, making it look like blood when you cut it. This only proves plants suffer as much as people.

“About what?” I raise a brow and sit up, ready to go.

My sister straightens, brushing the dirt off her clothes. She looks one more time at her beloved friend, then kisses him. “About Ava.”

I sigh. Long story short, Ava is my ex-girlfriend who I lived with in Boston for three years. And my parents kind of think that I’m in town just to visit them, not because I’m actually moving back.

We always used to come together to my parents. Ava loved them, and Mom and Dad loved her too. They were pretty taken aback when I got home by myself and there was no Ava in sight.

I’ve never in my life lied to them. They overwhelmed me with questions, so I told them the truth: Ava and I broke up five months ago, living separate lives in the same house until I finished practice with a well-known doctor. The doctor is from my university and is basically a plant savant.

I told them the reason Ava and I broke up was because she realized that we were not right for each other. And then their faces dropped, and I panicked.

That led to lies flying out of my mouth before I could stop them. I told them I’d met someone else. And if it couldn’t get any worse, I lied about her visiting.

Next Sunday.

My goal is to forget about it until I have to come clean, so I shrug off Olivia’s question and hug her tightly instead. I’ve missed the kiddo so badly. It’s been a while since I was home.

“I don’t know,” I tell her. “Unless I suddenly wake up on Sunday with a girlfriend, I’ll have no other choice but to tell them the truth.”