Where Love Lingers

Chapter 6.

Ava

The walls in this house aren't thick. They never have been.

I knew what I'd hear as soon as I saw Lucy and Tyler heading up to her room. It's not like it's the first time. And yet, every time it happens, it feels like something inside me breaks all over again.

The muffled sounds start almost immediately. Her giggling, the sound of the bed creaking, and then... then the unmistakable noises that come after.

My heart tightens, a sharp pain settling in my chest as I press my pillow against my ears. But it doesn't stop the sounds. It doesn't stop the images that flood my mind—images of Tyler with her, touching her, kissing her, doing things I'll never experience. Not with him. Not with anyone.

I thought I'd gotten used to this. To the way Tyler looks at Lucy like she's the center of the universe. But hearing it, knowing he's with her right now... it's unbearable.

A sob rises in my throat, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I can't stay here. Not like this.

I find myself outside, my feet moving on their own. I don't even bother with shoes. The cool night air bites at my skin as I hurry across the yard, but I don't care. I just need to get away. To breathe.

I slip into the backyard and climb the ladder to the treehouse, the one we all used to share—Tyler, Ethan, and me. Before everything went wrong. Before I became invisible. The treehouse feels smaller now, claustrophobic, but it's the only place that still holds some of those memories. Some of the good ones.

Sitting in the dark, I pull my knees to my chest and let the tears fall. I cry for everything—my mother, the way my father looks at me, the way Lucy parades Tyler around like a prize she's won, knowing how much it hurts me. And I cry for myself. For the girl I used to be, the one who thought she mattered.

But Tyler doesn't see me like that anymore. He probably never did.

Tyler 

Lucy's breath is soft and even beside me. She fell asleep not long after everything. I stare up at the ceiling, feeling... nothing. Not regret, but not satisfaction either. It's just another night with Lucy. No different from the others. No strings, no real connection, just two people using each other to fill the emptiness.

I glance at her, sprawled out on the bed, her hair tangled around her face. She looks peaceful. I feel restless.

Without much thought, I sit up and pull on my jeans, careful not to wake her. I don't need to stay. It's not like she expects me to. This whole thing between us—it's fun, sure. But it's not serious. Never will be.

I slip out of her room, tiptoeing down the stairs. As I step outside, the cool air hits my skin, but I welcome it. It clears my head.

I take a deep breath, then start walking toward my house. The sun's just beginning to rise, casting an orange hue across the sky. It should be peaceful, but my mind's still a mess.

As I round the corner of my yard, I see movement up in the treehouse. I stop, squinting, and then I see her.

Ava.

She's huddled up there, knees to her chest, her face buried in her arms. She doesn't see me, and I'm not sure if I want her to. What the hell is she doing up there?

For a second, something inside me stirs. Guilt, maybe. Or something close to it. I know Ava's not doing well, that her family's all messed up, but I've been avoiding it, avoiding her. Ever since Lucy told me what her dad said, it's like I don't even want to think about Ava. But now...