Following Me by Linde, K.A. (best books to read in your 20s .txt) 📗

Devon looked away from them.  Shejust couldn’t handle this.  The implication in Reid’s words sliced open oldwounds.  They were never going to make a trip to see Hadley and Garrett.  OnceReid got her in St. Louis again, she wouldn’t go anywhere.  He would make sureof that.

“So, how long are you here for?”Garrett asked, running a hand back through his hair.

Devon already knew the answer. They would leave as soon as Reid could get her out of here.

“Well, it’s up to Devon, ofcourse,” he answered, clearly lying.

Reid smiled at her, and Devonthought she might be sick.  Since when had anything been up to her?

“What do you want to do, Dev?”

She shrugged.  She wanted to goback to Brennan and apologize.  She wanted to explain to him that Reid wasdangerous and Brennan couldn’t come anywhere near him.  She wanted to tellBrennan that she didn’t trust Reid not to hurt him, and if he did, it wouldkill her.

“Well, I got my MCAT scores inthe mail this week, and it’s Devon’s birthday soon.  Maybe we could all go outand celebrate?” Reid said.

“How did you do?” Devon askedautomatically.  Hadn’t she just asked Brennan the same question?

A muscle in Reid’s neck twitchedat the question.  If she didn’t know him so well, she wouldn’t have known whatthat meant.  He hadn’t done as well as he had wanted.  She wondered if hisparents would donate a library or something to get him into Wash U’s medicalschool.  She wouldn’t put it past them.

“Great.  They were great,” hesaid with a sinister smile.  “So, you want to go out then?”

“Sure,” she said softly.  Shewould rather be out than alone with him, and she might as well put off theinevitable.

“I’ll have to see what Hadley’sdoing.  I’m not sure if she’s ready to go out again.  She should be home soonthough,” Garrett said.

He sounded uncomfortable and outof place, and Devon didn’t blame him.  He knew what had happened with her andReid, and he was probably trying to figure out his role now that Reid was here.

“She’s not home yet?” Devon askedjust to fill the silence.

“No, she and her mom decided togo out shopping.  I don’t expect them until after the stores close.”  He lookeddown at his watch.  “That was thirty minutes ago, so she should be here soon.”

As if on cue, Hadley walkedthrough the door, loaded with bags.  She kicked the door shut with her foot asshe stumbled inside, weighed down by her packages.

Garrett reached out to steadyher.

“Hey!” she said, bending intohim.  “Missed you.”

Garrett’s smile took over his face. “I missed you, too.”

“I got way too much,” she said,leaning forward and kissing him.

When she backed up, he said, “Ican see that.”  Garrett turned to gesture toward Reid.  “We, uh…have avisitor.”

“Reid McAllister!” Hadley criedin shock.  “What are you doing here?”

Reid laughed good-naturedly andshook his head.  “Nice to see you, too, Hadley.”

“Seriously, what are you doinghere?” she asked, hoisting her bags over one shoulder to redistribute theweight.

“I’m here to see Devon, ofcourse.  What do you think I’m doing here?” he asked, his eyes moving to Devon.

“I really don’t know.”

“Hadley, what did you get fromyour shopping trip?” Devon asked quickly, cutting off Hadley’s next response.

Hadley narrowed her eyes, but shewas too much of a girl to not give in.  “Ugh…too much.  I’ll have to show you. Bedroom?” she asked, nodding toward the room she shared with Garrett.

“Sure.  Garrett, maybe you shouldpour Reid a drink,” Devon offered, skirting around him.

Reid reached out and grabbed herwrist.  When she winced, he released some of the tension.  He pulled her intohim, and she did everything she could not to pull away.  Her wrist would be theleast of her worries then.  He pushed back a lock of blonde hair from her face.

“I missed you, and I don’t everwant you out of my sight again,” he said so softly only she could hear.  Hislips landed possessively on hers.  “Don’t be in there long.”

Devon bit her lip, wantingnothing more than to wrench herself out of his grasp, but she just nodded.

“Good,” he said, releasing her. “I think I would like that drink now, Garrett.”  He walked into the kitchenwith a boisterous laugh.

Devon scurried away from him andinto the bedroom.  She hoped her shaking wasn’t noticeable.  She closed thedoor quickly behind her just as Hadley tossed her bags on the bed with a bighuff.

“Okay…what the fuck is he doinghere?” Hadley asked.

“Shhh,” Devon warned quickly,putting her finger to her mouth.  “Keep it down.”

“Sorry,” Hadley said quietly.

“We didn’t really break up,”Devon said, biting her lip.

“What are you talking about?  Yousaid that you did, and then you were gone all night with Brennan,” Hadley said,confused.

Devon fiercely shook her head. “Don’t talk about him.  Reid can’t know about Brennan.”

“Devon, what is going on?” Hadleydemanded, crossing her arms.

“I left St. Louis without tellingReid.  I wanted to break up with him, but I didn’t know how.  So, for allintents and purposes, we were broken up.  He just…didn’t know…” Devon trailedoff.

“Fuck, Dev.  What are you goingto do?” Hadley asked, sitting back heavily on the bed.

“Wing it?” Devon said with ashrug.

Hadley looked at her skeptically.

“Okay, I’m going to have to actlike everything is normal…as much as I can anyway.  You are, too.  Then, I’mgoing to try to talk to him, but please don’t bring up Brennan.  I don’t wanthim to think that is why we’re breaking up.”

“Isn’t it?” Hadley asked.

“No,” Devon said, shaking herhead.  “I left Reid before I had ever met Brennan.”

“Fair point.”

“I just…have to do this my way,okay?”

Hadley stood up and placed herhand on Devon’s shoulder.  “Let him down easy, Dev.  He’s crazy about you.”

He’s justcrazy, she thought.

DEVON WAS CLOSE to collapsing by thetime they made it out to the bar.  She really wanted a drink to calm hernerves, but she wanted to stay in control.  The last thing she wanted was toconfront Reid with an addled mind or accidentally slip and say something sheshouldn’t while drunk.

Hadley and Garrett decided on aclub not too far from their house.  Hadley hadn’t been out at night since heroverdose.  Devon didn’t want to worry about that on top of everything else. Garrett would just have