I closed my eyes briefly. I couldn’t deny the relief I felt at the knowledge Preston wouldn’t be with Alicia tonight, and I appreciated the sacrifice he’d made on my behalf. But I felt panic knowing what he’d done had ensured I’d have an enemy for life. Thank God she was leaving soon. I hoped she’d never be back. “Preston—”
“The basketball team decided to go as a group and Cole’s with them, but I decided I’m just not interested.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
The knowledge that Cole hadn’t asked me to his prom didn’t bother me. He understood enough to know there would be no way for me to go. I couldn’t afford a tube of lipstick much less a dress and shoes and whatever else . . . It was a kindness that he hadn’t put me in the awkward position of having to come up with an excuse why I couldn’t go when we’d both know the real reason.
I stared at Preston for a moment. “So . . . what are you doing here?”
“I came to see if you were okay.”
I furrowed my brow, pressing my lower back against the high table. “How’d you know where I was?”
He looked to the side with interest, glancing at the dispenser mounted on the wall that sold miniature boxes of laundry soap as if he’d never been inside a Laundromat before. God, he probably hadn’t been. When he looked back at me, he said, “I stopped by your house. Your mom told me you were here.”
What? A feeling of horror moved up my spine. I swallowed. “You . . . stopped by my house? How did you . . . know where I live?” Oh God, I didn’t even want to know how my mama had greeted him. I actually couldn’t picture it. What would she have done when opening the door and finding Preston Sawyer standing there? Had she been nice to him? Had he seen inside? Oh God.
“I’ve known where you live since we were kids.”
“Oh.” I swallowed. “Does . . . Cole know, too?”
There was a small tic in his jaw and he suddenly seemed to be watching me more closely than usual. “Not that I know of.”
I nodded, thankful for that. “My mom, she . . . she doesn’t speak English. I mean, hardly at all.”
“She knows the word Laundromat.” He let out a breath, a look of annoyance passing over his features. He shook his head slightly as if we’d gotten off track somehow. “You haven’t been at school.”
I paused, trying to get my bearings. “No. I didn’t see any reason.” I frowned, gripping the table behind me. “You came all the way here just for that? Just to see why I hadn’t been in school?” Despite my embarrassment in him being anywhere near my house, a sudden warmth moved in my chest. It felt good to know he’d worried over me.
Preston studied me and my stomach flipped at the intense scrutiny of his gaze. He stepped forward slowly, decreasing the amount of space between us until he was right in front of me. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.” His voice sounded slightly scratchy as if some strange emotion had stuck in his throat. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about what happened, Lia. Alicia acted like a total bitch and everyone knows it. No one’s saying anything mean about you. I won’t let them. And neither will Cole.”
I released a harsh breath, looking down at my feet for a moment before meeting his eyes again. “Preston . . . neither of you have to do that. You didn’t have to cancel your prom date.”
A brief expression of hurt passed over his face before it settled into what looked like irritation again. “Yeah, I’m aware of what I have to do and what I don’t.”
I pressed my lips together. “What I’m saying is, you don’t have to be my champion like some older brother. I never, ever wanted that. I avoid you and Cole in public specifically so you don’t feel obligated to include me or defend me or whatever might come up by me hanging around you and your friends.”
“Obligated?” His jaw ticked and he looked angry. “Is that what you think?”
“I . . . I don’t think you feel that way, but . . .” I don’t want you to have to. I don’t ever want to be a burden. I never want you to look at me the way my mama always has. I couldn’t stand it. “It’s just that we live such different lives.”
I shook my head slightly, staring over his right shoulder, voicing the least of which he must already know. If he hadn’t known the extent of it before, he certainly did after visiting my house tonight. “Anyway, you should enjoy your last bit of time here. You and Cole are going away to college in just a few short months—”
His shoulders seemed to sag in some incremental way that had less to do with movement and more to do with a sudden shift in mood. Was he nervous about going away to college? He must be—Preston loved this land as much as I did, maybe even more since his roots were generations deep. I had the love, and he had the addition of pride.
“Are you going to miss Cole?” he asked. His voice was gentle though his body was still rigid. The question confused me for a moment when my mind had been going in a different direction. Was I going to miss Cole? I hadn’t seen Cole since that day at school either—had purposely stayed away from any other soul except my mama. I bit at my lip trying to answer the question inside my head before saying anything to him. For a second I considered asking Preston what he thought about Cole and I going on a couple of dates. For a second I hoped that he’d tell me he hated it. But then I remembered the way Preston had willingly turned back when Cole told him he was going to ask me out, and I realized I already had my answer: he was fine with it. He didn’t want me.
“I’m going to miss both of you.” Mostly you, Preston. And I wish that wasn’t true because I don’t think you’re going to miss me back, at least not in the same way.
He seemed to relax slightly, letting out a long sigh and massaging the back of his neck. While his gaze was directed away, I allowed my eyes to move down his body, taking in the way his long-sleeved T-shirt clung to the lean muscles of his chest, the way his shoulders were so broad and his hips narrow. The strength of his long, jean-clad legs, and how tall he was.
He dropped his hand and met my eyes again, studying me for a moment as if trying to determine what was going on in my mind. He still looked a little troubled, and I wished he didn’t. It’d been nice of him to come all the way here to check on me, though I hated that he knew where I lived and had possibly even glanced inside. But he was here, right in front of me, and he wouldn’t be for long. My soul ached with the need to touch him before I no longer had the chance.