It Could Be More | ✔

16. Keep Driving

Watching the Cordell & Cordell Landscaping truck stop in front of Maverick's house was like seeing the school bus arrive on the day of a field trip. I wanted to run to it. Corey met me halfway, his gaze intense and angry. "What happened? Did he do something to you?"

When he answered my call, I was crying so hard that he didn't ask me to explain why I called him. He just said he'd be there and hung up. Now I realized he thought Maverick was the cause of me crying. "No, it's nothing. I just want to go."

His eyes searched my face. I probably looked like a raccoon, with mascara smeared under my eyes. If I did, he didn't let on. He only looked concerned. "Nothing? Then why were you crying?"

"Because my phone is dead and I lost my car keys and Maverick...he's not who I thought he was." The tears started again. I hiccupped, trying to hold them back before I became another blubbering mess. "I just really want to go home."

His face softened. He took a step closer, his hand reaching for me before falling back to his side. He settled for a nod instead. "Okay."

• • •

My favorite thing about Corey was that he could appreciate silence. Liah was a problem solver. She would've wanted all the facts so she could fix whatever was wrong. She'd ask a million questions and never let me off the hook. Corey let me keep my secrets.

It wasn't as late as I thought it was, barely eleven. When he turned down my street, the last thing I expected, or wanted, to see was Gray's car in the driveway. I was not in the mood to deal with him. Corey noticed the car too, his eyes darting to me as if asking what to do.

"Keep driving." I didn't breathe until we turned off my street.

He stopped at a stop sign, the car idling. "Where am I going?"

Liah's was my only option, really. But I didn't feel like being questioned. I didn't want to leave the truck. Corey probably had other things to do, though. "Weren't you working?"

"It can wait."

Something ballooned in my chest, spreading warmth throughout my body. "I could eat."

We stopped for burgers and milkshakes, eating in the parking lot. I used his phone to text Liah to cover for me so my mom wouldn't worry about me not coming home. As expected, she texted me back a ton of questions. I promised to fill her in later and handed Corey his phone back.

He used it to play random YouTube videos about home renovations, which were kind of entertaining. Even though I was watching the video, I could feel that Corey wasn't. When I looked at him, I caught him turning away.

"What?" Was there food on my face? I wiped my mouth with a napkin, just in case.

He brought his eyes back to me. "I'm sorry."

"For staring?"

"Maverick. I put his name on the list. I really hoped it'd work."

"So did I," I muttered, popping a fry into my mouth. "But it wasn't your fault it didn't."

"What happened?" The question came out hesitant, like he wasn't sure it was okay to ask. Strangely, I felt okay answering.

"He was a little too much like my dad." I took a sip of my milkshake, rinsing the words out of my mouth.

Corey stilled, his burgers inches from his lip. He lowered his food, his eyes full of remorse. "Shit. Harlow, if I knew that--"

"You didn't," I said, staring down at my half eaten food, my appetite gone. "I wouldn't have known if I hadn't seen it myself. Some people are really good at hiding that stuff."