“I was frightened you’d leave school and regret it.”
I remembered cutting him off.
Then I’d said the words that still haunted me.
“If you walk away from this, don’t expect me to fix everything for you.”
“I thought you meant I couldn’t come home,” he said.
“I meant college, Lucas. I was angry, but I never stopped wanting you.”
He looked toward the door.
I remembered cutting him off.
“So where did you go that morning?”
“I left my car in that parking lot and caught a bus to a friend’s place. I planned to stay a few days.”
“And when people started searching?”
“We went to another state. His brother gave us a room, and I found work.”
“Did your friend know I was looking for you?”
“Not at first. Months later, I told him you’d heard from me. I lied because he kept asking me to call.”
