“Called in sick and told Dale I needed his ride to go to the doctor. Get in.”
Briefly, I looked back at the house before shoving my duffel into the back seat and then climbing into the front.
“Where are we going?” I clipped on my seat belt.
Without so much as a glance at his own house, he turned at the end of the cul-de-sac, then veered right at the end of the street. “You’ll see,” he said. “I’ve been an ass, but even though I’m often an ass, in this case, I want a chance to try to explain myself.”
I pursed my lips to hide my smile, but ignored his hand when he tried to reach for mine. “No touching until the talking has taken place.” My smile wiggled free. “Maybe.”
His teeth slid over his lip, and he took the next turn. “Whatever you say, beautiful.”
A dancing sensation prickled my skin at the endearment, and I kept my eyes focused out the window to keep them from gluing to him.
In buzzing silence, we took the highway for twenty minutes before pulling into an old run-down truck stop. Everett came around the car, offering his hand to help me out.
I gave him a look that said no exceptions, then smirked when he huffed a laugh and shut the door behind me.
The little bell above the door announced our arrival, and I felt a thrill shoot through my veins, making each step lighter as I headed toward a booth in the back.
We were out together. In public. Granted, the likelihood someone we knew would happen upon this place midmorning on a weekday was slim, but still, the excitement was real all the same.
A waitress with the name tag Bev took our order, and I hesitated, knowing I only had twenty dollars in my duffel, which was still in the car.
Everett noticed and grabbed my hand. I let him, blinking as he ordered my favorite, two plates of waffles with ice cream and maple syrup, milkshakes, and waters.
“I got it, don’t worry,” he said once the waitress walked away.
I stared at a cross-stitched rooster hanging on the wall behind his head, then sighed. “We can eat and bail,” I joked.
The tic in his jaw and the slight tightening of his hand over mine said he didn’t think I was funny. “I don’t steal everything.”
Hendrix had once told me how Everett easily pocketed candy bars and other miscellaneous items, completely undetected. So I didn’t quite know what to believe. I didn’t judge; I just didn’t want any part of it.
“Okay,” I said, leaving it at that.
He removed his sunglasses, noticing the way I eyed them as he hung them from the neck of his shirt. “I paid for them too. Thirty dollars at the thrift store.” His lips twitched. “They’re not even fake.”
“Bargain,” I muttered as Bev slid our waters and shakes over the table. I thanked her, smiling up at her weathered face and taking in the beautiful orange curls that hung around it.
She beamed back, then strutted to a table on the opposite side of the diner.
“You’re mad. I get it.”
“Do you?” I unwrapped a straw and dunked it into my ice water before taking a sip.
Everett’s eyes dipped to my mouth, then returned to mine. “I didn’t know what to say, okay?”
“I told you,” I said, putting the glass down and pulling the shake over. “You didn’t need to say anything. You also didn’t need to avoid me.”
He sat back in the ripped blood red vinyl seat, twining his fingers together and squeezing. His mouth opened and closed, his tongue prodding at his lips while his eyes crawled over my face. “I care about you a fucking lot, Clover.” He swallowed, wrenching his hands apart and shoving one through his hair, slicking the messy strands back. “And other than the band, I don’t care about anything else, so please believe me when I say that means something.”
I did believe it meant something. “You should’ve just said that. I’m not expecting us to get serious. I know you’re leaving. I’ve known it since you bought that bus.” I paused, dropping my lashes to the table. “I think I knew before then.”
“Then how is it fair I do this to you? To either of us?”
“It’s not fair,” I said quietly. “But what else is there to do, ignore it?” We’d ignored it for too long, neglected it, yet it thrived anyway.
He took a long sip of water, eyeing me over the cup.