Someone I Used to Know - By Blakney Francis Page 0,113

men’s hearts, collecting them like people collect stamps or shot glasses, all the while giving little bits of herself away in the process, until there was nothing of her left at all.

Whether I liked it or not, she owned a piece of me, but in the process, I’d gotten under her skin. I owned a piece of her, too, and that, in the least, made it feel worth something.

“So if she never comes back? If it’s really over?”

“Then let her go. It doesn’t mean your love for her means any less.”

“And if she comes back?”

“Then make her fight for you. Make her prove it to herself that she really wants you…Anything worth having is something that’s worth fighting for.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Adley

I wasn’t in the least bit surprised when my flight got delayed. Life could be a fickle creature sometimes. The universe had spent a lot of time and energy forcing me to see the error of my ways, doing everything it could to try and wrangle me back to California: sending Madeline to North Carolina, placing Alfred in my life with his remarkable story, having Hannah accidentally open my letter, getting Cam to send me a plane ticket at the exact moment everything came together.

I’d fought it every step of the way, and once I’d finally made my mind up to give into its will, it turned its back on me. It needed me to fight for my new direction just as viciously as I’d fought to hold onto my old one. I had every intention of doing that, even if the four-hour delay put me arriving in Los Angeles only an hour before the premier.

My luck didn’t improve once I’d actually arrived, either. Struggling through the busy airport, someone spilt coffee all over my carefully assembled outfit.

There was a drastic temperature change from the East Coast to the West Coast in December, and I’d painstakingly picked out the perfect clothes to accommodate the difference. I’d worn my best pair of jeans and a nice red blouse that could be worn under a heavy coat until I arrived. I had no intention of actually attending the premier (even with time to change, I still didn’t have anything nice enough to wear). My plan was to catch Declan before he left for the event.

I would have called him, but there were things I needed to say face-to-face. It was the only way.

Then there was the issue of how I was actually going to get anywhere.

I stared at my cellphone, making a split-second decision and scrolling down to the name. I pressed the button quickly, calling him before I could change my mind.

I had other options. I could’ve gotten Cam to send a car for me or hailed a taxi. I wanted to make that call though. I wanted to inconvenience him.

Once the call had been made, I rushed into the restroom to change out of my sopping clothes. Does anyone really need that much coffee? With a regretful sigh, I changed into the only other outfit I had with me.

Even after talking to him on the phone, I couldn’t believe it when his car wheeled to a stop in front of me, not thirty minutes later.

“You’re here,” I said, unable to fully cleanse the disbelief from my greeting.

“You called.” He shrugged, and stepped forward to take my light backpack. I’d been too worried about the time to bring anything more than a carry-on. “You’re my sister. That entitles you to a few chauffeur privileges, if I remember correctly.”

We hurried into his black car, a little four-door Audi, chased away by the attendants monitoring the arrivals area of the airport. I told him the theatre the premier was being held at. I knew he’d know how to get there. Thomas was good with directions.

The car was quiet, and since he didn’t make a move to turn on the stereo, I didn’t remind him of it. It wasn’t my place, not anymore. The silence stretched on, and I desperately didn’t want to feel awkward. He was my brother, after all, but the longer we sat there, the more anxious I became. It was one of those moments when you can’t decide if something is just awkward for you, or if the other person feels it too.

“Did you tell Mom and Dad?” I blurted. “That you talked to me before, I mean.”

“No,” he said, as he switched on his blinker a moment before skillfully gliding his car into another lane. “I didn’t want them to