Don't Need You - Lilian Monroe Page 0,40

last night—something I never thought I was missing until I saw how great it was.

But as Serena mumbles something about getting dressed and slips back into her room, I know we’re just roommates. Nothing more.

Even though I’ve mostly forgiven Finn, I’m not going to turn around and do the same thing to Robbie. No way.

At least, not until I talk to him about it first.

It’s hard to leave Serena to go to work. Harder than I expect. When I get up in the morning, I glance at the closed door to the guest room and imagine what it would feel like to knock and say goodbye. To go in there and give her a soft kiss, tell her I’ll see her in four days.

Shaking my head, I leave the house.

We’re not together. She’s just crashing at my place. She’s not my girlfriend, and she’s going to move out as soon as she gets on her feet.

As I get in my car, my heart tugs. I realize I don’t want her to move out. She’s only been at my place for a couple of days, but even in that short amount of time, it’s changed the way I think about life at home. I like having her there. I like coming home to her. I like seeing her smile and catching a glimpse of the little purple jewel she wears in her belly button.

When I finally get to work, I meet Robbie in the staff lounge. He jerks his head at me, eyes hopeful.

“How’s my sister?”

“She’s good,” I say, guilt worming its way through my chest. I gulp, wondering if I should tell him how I feel.

But how do I feel? What’s going on between Serena and me? Apart from me lusting after her, that is. We were very clear with each other—just friends.

Is that because we want to just be friends, or because I pushed her away?

My attention snaps back to Robbie, who’s telling me about his days off. He realizes I’m not listening and tilts his head. “What’s up? Something’s on your mind.”

Yeah. Your sister.

I shake my head. “Nah. Just enjoyed the days off. Not sure about all this.” I wave my hand around the staff lounge and tell Robbie about my flight up in the skydiving plane.

He nods. “Ah. You miss it.”

I chuckle. “Yeah. A lot.”

Robbie chews the inside of his lip, tilting his head. “Why don’t you go back to it?”

“To the skydiving business?”

“Yeah. I’m sure your partner—what was his name?”

“Finn.”

“I’m sure Finn would take you back.”

I let out a chuckle. “I know he would. Serena convinced me to make nice with him and my sister.”

“There you go.” Robbie grins. He barks out a laugh, shaking his head. “Trust my sister to knock some sense into you.”

“What would you do if some guy started dating your sister behind your back?” I ask it like a hypothetical, but behind my words, the truth hides.

What would you do if I started dating your sister?

Robbie lets out a sigh, shrugging. “As long as it wasn’t Angelo or some dickhead like him, it would be okay. Everyone deserves to be happy.”

My heart squeezes. Robbie’s eyes search my face and he’s silent for a long moment. I try not to squirm, and I wonder if he heard the subtext of my question. If he saw the effect his sister had on me. If he would mind if I pursued her.

But instead of saying anything, Robbie checks his watch and nods to the staff lounge exit. “Time to go.”

I let out a sigh and get up, simultaneously relieved to have avoided an awkward conversation and upset I didn’t have the balls to ask him.

16

Serena

“I’ll be back for Christmas, Mom,” I say to my exasperated mother over the phone.

“You left without even saying goodbye!”

“It came up at the last minute.” I cringe, knowing I lied to all of them. No one except Robbie knew I was leaving, but after Angelo showed up at my house, I knew I had to go. “It’s not forever,” I say.

My chest constricts. I hate saying these things to my mother, because the way I feel right now, I wouldn’t mind being in Woodvale forever.

It’s nice here. More than nice. I can see a future here. Within a couple of days, I’ve met my future coworker in Sarah and been accepted into Kit’s group of friends.

My whole life in New Haven revolved around Angelo. Making him happy when we were together and avoiding him when we were apart.

Now, I’m