COLTON

“GOT IT,” FINN YELLED across the gym, waving my phone in the air. I realized I’d forgotten it when Coach sprung it on us at the last minute that he was extending practice and I’d gone to call Alex to let her know. I’d never memorized her number, even though it’d been the same for years. I knew that she’d worry when I didn’t come home. I’d never been late since she’d arrived, and without my phone, Alex had no way to reach me either. Coach couldn’t run the drills he had planned without me, so he’d agreed to let Finley make a quick trip to the house to let her know that we’d be late.

“Thanks, man. What’s Allie up to?” Leaving her naked in my bed this morning was difficult, to say the least, and I kinda hoped to find her where I left her when I got back. I was already getting worked up for when she’d have to return to Texas. I had plans to do whatever I could during her last two weeks to convince her to transfer here to UCLA. We’d spent too much time apart already. Alexis was finally mine, and I had no plans of letting her go.

Finn slapped the phone into my palm, taking a moment to catch his breath from the jog from the parking lot. “Lexi’s not at the house.” His brow furrowed with concern, and I waved it off.

“She’s probably out meeting her friend, Gertie, for brunch again.”

“Hustle up, fellas!” Coach shouted to Finn and me over by the bleachers, stabbing at his watch.

I held up a finger, indicating that I needed a minute, to which Coach begrudgingly nodded his head.

Finley jogged onto the court, and before I’d even unlocked my phone, practice had resumed. My first call went straight to voicemail, so I hung up and tried again...three more times. All voicemail. Where the hell was she?

“Everything okay?” Blex asked, tapping me on the shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Is Alex okay? Coach has been calling you, and you’re just standing here staring down at that phone. Did you get in touch with her?”

“No. It keeps going to voicemail,” I answered, clearing my throat. My chest felt tight, and my heart was racing. I couldn’t explain the anxiety I felt over not being able to reach her because even I didn’t understand it. Odds were, her phone had died. I knew that. But for some reason, probably because I was so afraid to lose her now that I finally had her, I was in a full-blown panic. “I’m going to go back to the house and see if she’s there.”

My buddy’s brows furrowed. “You do realize her phone is probably just dead, right?”

I nodded, feeling ridiculous.

“Alexis is a grown ass woman. She’s fine. Get back on that court before Coach has a fucking coronary.”

Practice lasted another hour, and my performance was less than stellar. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. As soon as we were dismissed, I ran for the bleachers where I’d left my phone to try Alex again, but it was no longer where I’d left it. “Hey,” I shouted at the guys who were making their way to the locker room. “Did any of you pick up my phone by mistake?”

A chorus of “no” and grunts followed.

“I’ll keep an eye out for it during cheer practice,” Lyla offered, batting her lashes as she smacked on her lime green gum. Where the hell had she come from?

“Thanks.”

Lyla’s hand darted out, clutching my bicep as I started to move past her. “So, I couldn’t help but overhear that Alex is missing...Lemme know if you need any help looking for her, okay?”

With my free hand, I pried her fingers off my arm. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Allie?” I walked around the first floor calling her name before heading up to my room, hoping I’d find her there. When I stepped through the door, it felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach. All of the air whooshed from my lungs. No. I broke out in a cold sweat as I took in the empty hangers in the closet. I pulled open her drawers, already knowing I’d find them bare. I made my way into the bathroom, and all of her girlie shit was gone from the counter. “No!” I yelled, pacing back and forth, trying to make some sense out of this. Why? Why would she leave? I replayed our weekend in Santa Monica. Every amazing minute. Did I misread her? Could I have been that off?

“Fowls?” Finn shouted, rushing up the stairs. “Did you find her?”

“She’s fucking gone.”

“Yeah...” he drew out. “But did you find out where she went?”

I felt a burn in the back of my throat as I shrugged my shoulders, walking back to the closet and waving my hand over her empty side. “I don’t know, but she took all of her shit, so I’d have to assume back home.”

Finley’s eyes widened as they darted around the room, noticing the lack of Allie’s things. “What the fuck? She just left without saying anything?”

“Did you two get into a fight?” Blex asked, his big frame filling the doorway.

I shook my head, pinching the bridge of my nose to try to ward off a headache.

“Well, what happened? Think, man. Something had to have happened to have her packing her shit and taking off like a bat out of hell.” Blex stared at me with accusing eyes. A few weeks ago, I’d have accepted full responsibility for behaving like a complete jackass. Something had happened all right, and this the last reaction I ever expected.

My roommates stared at me expectantly.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “We had sex!” I shouted, banging my fist down on the dresser. My body started to shake with anger, with barely restrained emotion.

Finn and Blex both stared at me at a complete loss for words. Finn finally opened his mouth to speak, and Blex immediately got in his face. “Don’t you even fucking think about it,” he warned, knowing as well as I did that Finn was about to make some stupid remark about Alex leaving after we’d finally had sex.

I felt like a caged animal, clenching and unclenching my fists to try to work out a little of the tension building up inside. “I don’t understand,” I muttered, pacing the room.

“Maybe she got scared,” Blex offered. “Girls do weird shit when they’re all up in their feelings.”

“Maybe,” I agreed, sifting through my memories again, unable to come up with a single time where she’d given any indication that she was having second thoughts. “But to just up and fucking leave without a word, Blex?” I shook my head. “I never expected this from her.” Alex hurt a hell of a lot more than my pride with her little disappearing act.

“You have to at least call home and check on her,” Finn suggested, passing me his phone. “None of us will be able to relax until we know for sure where she is.”

Reluctantly, I took the phone. “What the hell am I supposed to say? My mom will be loaded with questions...Beginning with why the hell I don’t know where she is considering she’s supposed to be with me for the next two weeks.”

“Just tell your mom what happened. She’s cool as shit,” Finn offered. He had an almost disturbing obsession with my mother.

Blowing out a long breath, I shook my head. “My parents can’t know that anything happened between Alex and me.” I eyed them both. “Got it?”

“Make the call, Fowler,” Blex ordered, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

Fine. I knew they were right. As pissed as I was at Allie just then, I was equally worried. I dialed mom’s number and waited for her to pick up, praying I could pull off a good enough performance to keep her off our scent.

“Hello?” she answered with hesitation in her voice.

“Hey, Ma,” I greeted, trying to sound upbeat. “It’s me. I’m on Finn’s phone.”

I swear I felt her mega-watt smile all the way from Texas. “Hey, baby, it’s so good to hear your voice. Everything okay? Where’s your phone?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. It went missing at practice today. If I don’t find it tomorrow, I’ll have to get a new one...Save Finn’s number in case you need to get in touch with me until then, okay?”

“I sure will. When are you coming home for a visit?”

It was the same question every time we spoke, and I almost always gave the same answer. “Soon.” I did visit, just not near as often as she’d like. It was hard to see Allie with Dean before, but I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing her at all after this.

I hated this part. The part where she stewed in silence over my brushing off her request. “Hey, Mom?”

“Yeah, baby?” Her voice was thick with disappointment.

“Have you, uh...Have you spoken to Allie, by chance?” My heart raced with nervous anticipation. If she wasn’t there, I’d have a slew of questions fired at me, and I was in no way prepared to deal with the force that was my mother.

“Not yet...she’s been with Dean since her momma picked her up from the airport. I should see her tonight, though.”

I didn’t know it was possible to feel so relieved and angry with one person at the same time. I didn’t know whether to breathe a huge sigh of relief or break every fucking thing in sight. “Awesome,” I choked out, trying not to reveal how angry I was. “I’ve gotta go, Mom. I just wanted to make sure she got home...You know, since I can’t find my phone.”

“Okay, Colt. I love you so much. Please think about that visit, okay?” Her voice cracked. “Dad and I would like to see you.”

“Soon,” I lied. “Love you too, Mom.” I ended the call, dropping the phone back in Finn’s hand.

“Well?” he asked, looking to me for the play by play.

“She’s been with Dean since her mother picked her up from the airport,” I repeated, feeling nausea churn in my stomach.

Guess I had my answer.