Always There

Chapter Eighty-One

Chapter Eighty-One:

Bryce's POV

"Why the fuck are you wearing nail polish?" Jordan asks me from where he's sitting in the backseat of the car, behind the driver's seat.

I glance down at my hands, more specifically at my fingernails. After the pink nail polish Blossom had put on me a couple weeks ago began to chip, she took that polish off and painted my nails black instead.

"You just noticed?" I ask, staring out the window and refusing to make eye contact with Jordan.

He laughs, obnoxiously. "No. I noticed at the airport, but Lexi seemed really sad and so I wanted to focus on her a little bit. Speaking of that, why was she talking to that little girl? She hates kids. And why the hell was she crying?"

I shut my eyes, exhaling loudly. I don't really know how to get out of this conversation other than by telling the truth.

"If I tell you guys something right now, you have to swear to God that you will never speak about it ever again. If you do, I will cut your dick off. And that isn't a joke. I really will," I say sternly.

Jordan clearly believes that I'm being serious because he doesn't have any rude retort to say in response to that.

Mateo turns to look at me once we reach a red light. "All right. I promise that neither of us will say anything."

I nod at him. "Thank you. Well, Lexi never used to like kids. You're right about that. But her feelings changed a couple months ago when she found out that she's infertile. She has a condition that makes it impossible for her to get pregnant. She's heartbroken, as I'm sure you can imagine. I think that seeing that little girl with her mom made her realise that that's something that she'll never be able to have."

Jordan and Mateo both fall silent upon hearing this news, and for that, I'm grateful.

🌸🌸🌸

"I was expecting a welcome home party. This is sort of anticlimactic," I call out, rolling my suitcases over to the bottom of the stairs so that I can carry them upstairs to my bedroom later on.

Mateo sighs as he shuts the front door after us. "You are so obnoxious sometimes. I don't know how it still manages to surprise me, and yet it does."

I spin around to grin at him before dropping my backpack on the ground, kicking off my shoes, and then hurrying down the hallway.

Just as I turn the corner into the kitchen, I crash right into my dad, who immediately pulls me into a fierce hug.

I smile like an idiot as I rest my head on his shoulder and wrap my arms around him, hugging him back. "Hey, old man."

My dad squeezes just a little bit harder. "Hey, kid. I missed you like hell."

"I missed you too. I don't like living alone," I respond quietly.

My dad sighs, but when he releases me from his embrace he smiles as he ruffles my hair. "I know, kid. I know. I'm sorry."

I do my best to smile back at him. "Don't worry about it. I've had a miserable past few months, and so I just want to talk about you guys. How have you all been?"

On cue, Elena pops up beside my dad. She grins so impossibly wide as she looks up at me that I can't help but so grin back at her.