Old Ink (Get Ink'd Book 3) - Ali Lyda

Channing

The laundry I was folding was still warm from the dryer, only instead of hanging it in my closet or putting it in drawers, it was going straight into the open suitcases on my bed. I'd already packed all my other nonessentials in the past week: books, music, DVDs, decor. In a few days I'd be driving back to school, to a new apartment I'd share with my friends, and to a new course load courtesy of my advisor.

Part of me was eager to be back in school. Now that I had a plan for my new major, I knew I'd be fine. I knew how to study, how to do the work, and now I had a set path that excited me. And it would be good to be on my own again. As much as I adored Dane and Christian, they'd become overbearing since Reagan and I had broken up—or taken a break, whatever we wanted to call it. And I got it, truly. I'd do the same if the situation were reversed. But it was too heartbreaking to even think about.

Whenever Reagan came to mind, I felt like I was being buried alive under the hurt of it all. I'd be leaving him behind with no closure. Two weeks had passed, and I wasn't any closer to feeling okay. I'd even skipped out on a second week of work, turning in my notice to Dane effective immediately. Bryan was going to get a promotion, at least.

I knew Dane thought I should come in and say goodbye to the crew. And I would. Just...

There was a knock on my bedroom door and Dane stepped in. He looked at the room I'd been staying in. Without all of my things, it was just a guest room. His eyes softened with sadness.

"Summer is too long and too short," he said with a sigh. "It's just enough time for me to get used to having you home. Do I sound like a baby when I say I don't want you to leave?"

"Definitely," I said with a smile. "Big ol' baby. I'm going to miss you, too."

"I have to drop by the shop to sign some forms for the show. I'll be in and out. Why don't you come with me to say goodbye?"

A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth. "I don't know if I'm ready yet."

"You don't have a lot of time left to be ready, kid. Plus," Dane began to whisper, "there's another pool about whether you leave without saying goodbye. I don't want to lose $100 to the guys. If you come now, I win, and I'll give you some of the profits."

I crossed my arms. "I want half or I'm not going."

"Half? Are you crazy?" Dane looked genuinely affronted and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Absolutely. Half or I stay put."

Dane threw his hands in the air, looking for all the world like he was praying for patience. "Fine. You get half, but we're leaving now, okay?"

Shrugging, I pushed aside the remaining laundry. "Whatever." I did want to see the crew, even if the thought of running into Reagan made me queasy.

In Dane's truck, I played with the radio and checked my phone. I tapped my foot and locked and unlocked the doors until Dane finally looked at me and asked, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm just worried about going into the shop."

"Because of Reagan?"

I tossed him a 'no duh' look.

"You have every right to be pissed at him, Chan Chan," Dane said. "I'm still pissed at him."

I picked at a cuticle. "That's the thing. I'm not even pissed at him. I don't know if I was ever really pissed. I'm just hurt because I thought it was real. It felt real. He made me believe it was real. So it just hurts so much that he made the choices he did, you know?"

Dane coughed a little, and then tossed me a sheepish look. "Not really. See, I was sort of the Reagan in my situation. I did a lot, either on purpose or by accident, to test Christian's trust. He was the one who'd been willing to try for me, and I...I'd never had to try before because I'd never let myself believe I deserved it."