Mended

28 (pt.2)

Izzy's POV

Caleb didn't say a word until we pulled into the parking lot to his apartment complex. I noticed that Ethan's car wasn't parked in his spot, but the ones that I recognized as his friends' were all there.

My gaze lingered on the one that I knew belonged to Chase.

"Izzy, can I say something?" Caleb asked once we'd been sitting in silence for a solid minute.

I nodded.

He hesitated before continuing. "Do you think that you're expecting the worst to happen because it's what you're used to?"

If I wasn't numb, I would've felt the words like a punch to the gut.

"No," I simply replied. "You wouldn't understand, Caleb, you weren't there."

"Did he explicitly say that he's planning on breaking up with you?" He pushed.

I scoffed, still gazing out the window. "That's a stupid question. No one tells you before it happens."

He sighed. I didn't look, but I knew he was debating whether he wanted to argue with me or not. At last, he decided against it. A moment later, I heard the click of his seatbelt as he unbuckled it.

"Alright," he murmured. "Let's go in, I'm fucking exhausted."

Without a word, I slipped out of the car and fell into step with Caleb as we headed inside. I felt him throw me a concerned glance once in a while, but I kept my gaze trained forward. When we reached the right floor, I walked ahead of Caleb.

Inside the apartment, all the lights were out and it was dead silent, indicating to me that everyone at home was asleep or at least in their rooms. I slipped my shoes off and twisted towards Caleb.

"I'm gonna take Ethan's bed. He'll probably be at Rose's anyways tonight," I said, not bothering to wait for a response before I disappeared in the direction of Ethan's room.

I closed the door quietly as I entered, but didn't make any move to go further inside. Instead, I pressed my ear against the door and waited until I heard Caleb's footsteps pass. A few minutes ticked by before I heard slight shuffling, and then the soft click of his bedroom door shutting. When I was sure it was safe and I could no longer take being alone, I moved out into the hallway.

It only took a few steps until I was standing at Chase's door, but it was enough to put my mind at ease about what I was going to ask him.

It was this or something that had almost killed me in the past. That was what I told myself to avoid facing what I was truly about to do.

I knocked lightly on his door, only tapping twice before letting my hand fall loosely by my side. I only had to wait a few seconds before I heard footsteps approaching.

Chase was shirtless when he answered the door, but I barely paid attention to that fact as I took in his appearance. Not because I was attracted to him—which I honestly wasn't anymore—but because I wanted to try and picture a world in which it was him that I still liked, and not Julian.

Even if I wanted to imagine that it was Julian standing in front of me, like my heart desperately desired, I couldn't.

Their heights and physiques were the same; both of them tall and lean, yet that was the only similarity they shared. Chase's hair was a shade closer to a golden brown. Julian's was as dark as the midnight sky. Chase's eyes were the most intense shade of emerald I'd ever seen, reminding me of the forests that I used to live by. Julian's eyes were the most striking shade of ice blue, putting even the ocean that bordered this city to shame.