Chapter 16

Hunter walked me home around midnight. He brought his bike with him, but we didn't race to my house like we'd raced to his. We took our time, meandering along the same streets that had grown far less pretty. The park had glowed like a stadium from Hunter's roof, but up close, the chain-link fence sprawled with gloom and the swings creaked with vacancy. I'd played there my whole life, but at that moment, I was almost convinced no one had ever stepped foot in it.

When we stopped at my driveway, I nodded. "Thanks for walking me home."

Hunter shrugged and hiked one foot over his bike.

I glanced at my house. "And ... um ..." I hesitated, meeting his patient gaze. "Thanks for sharing your roof with me."

All this time, I'd been yearning for information surrounding his suicide attempt, but with him standing in front of me, I didn't feel at all satisfied. I wanted to know if he felt like I did, but I also wanted to know how he felt about anything. Even the things that didn't matter.

Hunter grinned, leaning his elbows on his handlebars. "I showed you mine. Now you have to show me yours. And I must say, I'm looking forward to it."

I wrapped my coat tighter around me. "I don't sit on my roof."

He straightened up, one foot still on the ground while he perched his other foot on the pedal, grinning even wider. "I'm sure you go somewhere ... whether it's a place or not."

Instead of moving, I stared at him. I tried to formulate a response, but after several moments, he laughed.

"Are you going to go inside?" he said. "It's cold as all fuck out here, and I think my fingers might already be frozen to these handlebars."

I scrunched my eyebrows. "Oh. Are you waiting for me to go in?"

"No, I plan to stand outside your house all night. Yes, of course I'm waiting for you to go in."

I put a hand over my heart. "I don't know what's more gentlemanly—your words or your intentions."

He snorted. "Definitely my intentions."

We exchanged smiles that made my cheeks ache. As I headed up my driveway, I could feel his eyes boring into me, but it wasn't unpleasant, and when I turned around, he was leaning forward on his handlebars again, watching me.

"Maybe you should start wearing a coat," I called.

He grinned back at me, and the corner of his mouth twisted in a way that almost made him look villainous. "Yeah, maybe I should."

* * *

I closedthe front door with a snap and stomped down the impulse to peek out the front window to see if Hunter was still there or if he was pedaling away.

"Why does your face look so weird?"

I jumped, clutching a hand to my chest. "Jesus Christ, Chris! You scared the shit out of me!"

The living room and front hallway were dark, but there was one dull light coming from the kitchen. Chris leaned back in his chair, peeking at me from around the corner. His hair stuck out in odd directions, and his eyes were glassy. "Were you just smiling?"

I rolled my eyes and peeled off my coat. I stuffed it in the front closet before making my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Chris had returned to his bowl of Lucky Charms, closing one eye as he concentrated on scooping a spoonful.

I watched him as I waited for the tap water to run cold. "Are you drunk?"

Chris startled, then his facial expression caught up and he grinned. "You know, I just might be." He went back to his cereal, frowning as he chased a marshmallow around his bowl for several grueling minutes before giving up entirely. "I need to go to sleep."

He stumbled as he stood, catching himself on the table and almost knocking the bowl of milk over.

My eyes widened. "You're wasted!"

At first, his eyes narrowed at my accusation, but then he shrugged. "So it would seem."

He took a few more steps, but they were so staggering I hurried forward and wrapped one arm around his waist. We headed toward the stairs like that, but once we reached the bottom, he shook his head resolutely, eyeing the steepness. "Ain't gonna happen. Lead me to the couch."

I didn't move.

"Onward, my trusty steed!"

I huffed, finally conceding. If Chris fell on the stairs, he'd likely kill the both of us. He collapsed on the couch, smiling with his eyes closed as he wiggled around to get comfortable. I draped a blanket over him but paused, peering at his face. Feeling my closeness, he cracked one eye open.

"Are you going to, like, die by choking on your own vomit or something?" I studied him, searching for any indication of the risk.

He chuckled, tucking his hands beneath his cheek and closing his eyes again. "No, promise."

I stood there for a minute but made up my mind and grabbed a blanket. I sighed as I retreated to the other couch.

"You don't have to sleep down here, Alice. I'll be fine."

I fanned the blanket over me, then fixed the end so it covered my feet. "Shut up." I rolled over to face him. "And wake me up if you have to puke."

He huffed tired breaths of laughter. "Not gonna puke."

It was silent for a while, and I stared at the ceiling, listening to his slow breathing as I replayed my night with Hunter.

"Alice?"

I scrambled onto my elbow, ready for him to start projectile vomiting. "Yeah?"

But he lay there, a calm lump of blankets curled into the fetal position. "I might forget most of this, but I'm not going to forget how you were grinning like a lovesick moron when you came inside."

I scoffed, collapsing back into the couch. "Go to sleep, you drunken idiot."