Daydream (Maple Hills, #3)(58)
“Fine. Gi, go upstairs, please. I’ll be up in a minute,” I say to her, and thankfully she goes without any argument. I turn to Will. “Do you have something to wear to bed, please? I’m going to need to go straight to work in the morning, so I don’t want to sleep in my clothes.”
He’s looking at me like he just won, and I don’t know why. “A clean load of laundry just finished. I’ll get you a T-shirt. If you don’t want to sleep next to her, you can share with me.”
I ignore him. I don’t even have an answer for that. Pulling out my phone when he disappears in the direction of the utility room, I see Henry sent me a video. It starts on the TV with my baking show, and pans around to him, shirtless, with Joy asleep in the center of his chest.
HENRY TURNER
Video message
We miss you.
How’s it going there?
I’m going to stay over with Gigi, then drive back in the morning.
Wish I was with you guys. I called Mrs. Astor on my way here and said you’d drop Joy by when you leave.
Wish I’d come with you.
I’m not sure how well not turning up for your game would rank on the being a good leader scale.
Heading to bed. Good luck for tomorrow
Night, Cap. Lock your door.
“That the new guy?” Will says as he reappears holding a T-shirt with his college’s crest on it.
I lock my screen quickly, but it’s pointless given my background is also Henry, since I didn’t change it after Henry set it himself. I don’t think he saw more than a glimpse, so I quickly move on before he starts asking. “Thank you for calling me, Will. I appreciate it.”
“Why are you being so formal with me?” he asks. “You’ve never been this formal with me.”
Honestly, it’s because I don’t feel like I know him anymore. I’m uncomfortable and awkward around him, and I’m struggling to remember that at one time he was my closest friend. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired from the drive, and school and—”
“Yeah,” he says, interrupting me. “I want to talk more, Hals. I mean it. I don’t like this distance between us and there’s no reason for it. We should do something, just me and you, when we’re home for Thanksgiving. Dinner and a movie, maybe.”
I don’t know if it’s the surprise or the stress of the evening, but it takes four times as long for me to blink. “But I’m not going home for Thanksgiving… We agreed months ago.”
He shrugs nonchalantly, and for some reason, it enrages me. “I think we were being dramatic.”
Disbelief. Pure disbelief. “But I’ve already agreed to work… You couldn’t have mentioned that you thought we were being dramatic before now?”
“I didn’t realize you thought it was such a big deal. Just switch your shift with someone.”
“I can’t just switch my shift. Everyone has plans for the holidays. I haven’t even told my mom yet because I know she’s going to be mad. I can’t believe you’ve just changed your mind and didn’t tell me.”
“Baby…”
“Why are you calling me that?” I snap, standing from my seat. I take the T-shirt and head toward the stairs. “Thank you for helping with my sister. I’m going to bed.”
I ignore him calling after me as I climb the stairs, and when I enter his room with Gigi already in bed, I do lock the door like Henry said.
“I’m sorry,” Gigi says quietly.
“I know.”
“I won’t be irresponsible again,” she says after I change and climb into the bed beside her.
“You will.”
“I’m sorry you and Will broke up.”
I turn off the beside lamp and pull the covers over us both. “I’m not.”
Chapter Eighteen HENRY
“THIS IS NOT WHAT WE agreed,” Bobby snaps, looking Russ up and down.
“What happened to team spirit?” Mattie adds, planting his hands on his hips. “What happened to flavortown?”
Aurora scoffs as she repositions her ear headband. “Yeah, sorry guys. I’m not making out with Guy Fieri tonight. I have a boyfriend for the first time in my life. I’m doing cute couple shit on Halloween.”
“Your whiskers are smudged,” I point out to her. Russ blushes the way he does about everything, so I don’t bother telling him that he has whisker residue on his face. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why they’re late. “Why are you a mouse in a chef’s hat?” I ask Aurora.
“I’m Remy!” She looks offended, like she expects me to have any idea what she’s talking about. I think she recognizes the blank expression that’s no doubt on my face because she clarifies. “From Ratatouille! Russ is Linguini. And I’m a rat, not a mouse.”
“If I knew there were options outside of this I’d have taken them.”
“Where’s your bunny?” Aurora asks, looking around the group dressed in black flamed shirts, blond-spiked wigs, goatees, and sunglasses.
“Over there taking a call,” I say, nodding toward the wall outside The Honeypot, where Halle is flanked by Poppy and Emilia. Aurora has Halle’s new fake ID that is apparently indistinguishable from a real ID, so we’ve been waiting for her to turn up before heading in. “Her mom called because she missed the video call from her little sister in her trick-or-treat costume by accident earlier. I think she’s being yelled at.”