“Are you trying to get us into a wreck?”

His quiet voice pierces my thoughts, reminding me I’m driving like a reckless jackass, and I ease up on the gas, evening out to a more moderate speed. “Sorry,” I murmur, embarrassed that I’m acting the fool.

My usual mode of operation when I’m in Drew’s presence.

We’re silent the rest of the drive, with the exception of Drew telling me where to turn to get to his apartment. The neighborhoods gets nicer and nicer the farther and farther I drive. I’m filled with jealousy as I take in the trees that line the street, the perfectly manicured lawns with bright bursts of colorful flowers, even in the middle of winter. Landscapers maintain all of the lawns on this side of town and they are utter perfection.

Unlike the grass and yards in my neighborhood, which are uneven and brown in spots. No pretty flowers in sight where I live. We mostly have overgrown shrubs at my apartment complex. They hide all the flaws well.

“Nice place,” I say once I pull into the parking spot he directs me to. It’s covered, of course. And the complex is gated, keeping the riffraff out. Like me. I’m considered riffraff, I’m sure.

“Do you need to call your boyfriend to pick you up?” he asks, his voice low. Downright menacing.

I shut off the engine and turn to him, hoping my expression is as incredulous as I feel. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

He raises his brows. “So the guy who basically told me to take a hike isn’t your boyfriend.”

“He’s not. He’s my boss. That’s it.” I slowly shake my head, pissed that I even have to explain myself.

“Why would he say he was with you last night, then?”

I’m gaping. I can’t believe what Drew just said. “What?”

“That’s what he told me. He asked who I was and I told him I was your…boyfriend. Then he laughed and said something like, where the hell was I since he was with you last night.” Drew’s mouth tightened into a flat, thin line. “Were you with him?”

God, I was. It sounds so bad, too. I don’t want to admit the truth but I can’t lie to Drew. There shouldn’t be any more lies between us. Honesty needs to be our only policy. “Yes,” I admit, my voice small. I don’t want to tell him Colin took me to a salon and paid for my makeover, a makeover Drew doesn’t even seem to notice.

He looks away from me, blowing out a harsh breath. His jaw is tight, I see a slight tic in it and I know he’s beyond pissed. “Just admit it, Fable. You’ve moved on. I can’t blame you. I f**ked this all up by not responding to you. I asked for this.”

“Asked for what? I’m not with my boss, not in the way you think. We’re definitely not together.”

He looks at me again. “You’re not?”

“No,” I say, slowly shaking my head. “We’re not. He’s my boss. I wouldn’t screw around with my boss.”

Drew says nothing, but his silence fills up the truck’s cab just the same as an endless stream of words would.

“Listen, you left me, remember? I’m finally getting on with my life, moving on from you, and then you go and text me that stupid, stupid code word. You have a lot of nerve, you know. I don’t know why I bothered coming out here to rescue you. Accusing me of being with someone else like a complete jealous jerk.” I need to call him out on his shit so I can get to the truth. I need the truth. I’ve been in limbo waiting for him and hating him, loving him, wanting to kill him, wanting to save him, for way too long.

I’m done. He either needs to come clean with me and we can get to the bottom of this, or we’ll continue swimming in an endless circle that will both drive me crazy and exhilarate me, all at once.

“I didn’t know what to think,” he finally says. “What he said put thoughts in my head and f**ked around with…everything.”

“You have no right to accuse me of this crap.” I take a deep breath. Drew may have jumped to conclusions, but I’m starting to think Colin didn’t help matters by implying that something’s going on between us. Which it’s so not. “Who are you going to believe? Some guy you don’t know or me?”

He lifts his lids, his gaze meeting mine. His eyes are bright, even in the dim light of the truck, and I wish I could lean into him. Touch him. Kiss him.

“You,” he whispers. “I’m going to believe you.”

Chapter Seven

Do magic. Enter her heart without touching her. – Unknown

Fable

I’m taken aback by Drew’s admission and all I can do is sit here and stare at him. I don’t know what to say, how to react, nothing. I think I’m still in shock that we’re sitting in his truck, together. Alone. Like the past two months haven’t happened and we’re right back where we started.

But I know all of his secrets. Well, most of them. And they’re horrible. He knows a few of mine, not that I have many. I was an open book for him from the start. My few remaining secrets aren’t as life altering as his. My mom is a drunken, no-job-having loser. My dad has never made contact with me my entire life. Drew already knows those facts about me.

Oh, and my brother is skipping class and smoking pot and there’s not much I can do about it. Drew doesn’t know much about Owen. Or about my own insecurities and fears, how they keep me trapped here in this going-nowhere life. How I feel like I have to take care of my little brother all the time because our mom sure as hell isn’t doing it.