No, you don’t, a voice whispers gently. I can’t tell if it’s mine or his.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I tell him for what feels like the millionth time.

“I’m not looking at you like anything.”

I smile and it’s an ugly, manic sort of smile. “I don’t want your pity. I don’t want anything from you.”

His brows spike.

I didn’t mean to say that. Any of it, least of all that last part. My cheeks are on fire as I break eye contact.

“Where is everyone?” His boots squelch as he rounds the bar.

I cup a hand around the back of my neck. “The guys went over to Sherry’s—Mason’s mom’s. Ivy’s out of town.”

“Vacation?”

“Something like that,” I mutter. I feel his silent curiosity, but that story is not mine to tell. Even if it would take a bit of the heat off me. I’ve yet to stoop so low as to use my cousin’s trauma to mask mine. That’s something I’ve got going for me at least.

He hums. “Why didn’t you go with her?”

I shrug. “We don’t do everything together.”

He scoffs, and I try not to bristle. “Right. And you didn’t go along with the guys because...?”

I huff. “Nosy much?”

“Evasive much?”

I roll my eyes as I use the cap of the whiskey to stab out what’s left of the cigarette I forgot I was smoking and drag the bottle over to me, all the while ignoring his penetrating gaze. I start to pick at the corner of the label.

Will mutters something under his breath, followed by the sound of water splashing against metal. My thumb stills and I glance up through my lashes to watch as he continues to wring his shirt into the sink. A smooth golden landscape peeks out from above his jeans.

“Any chance I can borrow some clothes?” he asks, facing away from me. He runs a hand up the back of his head, fingers flexing around for knots that are no longer there.

He trimmed his hair.

I don’t know why I notice this, or why I care that he cut it.

But it does serve as a reminder that Will’s been suspiciously MIA all week. He usually stops by at least one night during the week.

Not that I was looking for him or anything. In fact, I was going out of my way to think of valid excuses to cut out early so as to avoid him as much as possible.

It turns out, all that worry was for nothing. I didn’t need to avoid Will. He was doing the avoiding all on his own.

He turns around suddenly, yanking me out of my thoughts as he pushes back the mop of tussled gold hair creeping over his forehead, slicking it back.