August Lane

by Regina Black

“You should apologize for lying,” she said. “I didn’t lie to you.” “Don’t interrupt. I won’t be able to do this if you keep interrupting.” Luke pressed back into the small chair and folded his arms. “You said you believed in me. But you didn’t. If you did, you would have come back.” She could tell he still wanted to argue. His body was rigid and his eyes were shouting she was wrong. “You should apologize for being my only friend. For making me need you.”

“I know I’m not perfect,” she said. “I know I can be a lot. And I tried to do better. For Jojo. For you.” She held her breath, despising the question, but unable to stop it from spilling out. “Could you tell me why? Why am I so easy to walk away from?”

“I use it to go back to you,” he said. “To us. Each time I sing it, I get to fall in love with you again.” His lips twitched into a brief smile. “Hurts like hell when it’s over, but it’s worth it. I want to hurt that way for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t make it easy,” she continued, but looking at him while she said it was hard. Her fake thorns were gone. He’d plucked them one by one. “For people to love me, I mean. I can be a lot.”

“You’re the easiest person to love I’ve ever met.”

She wanted to keep this more than anything, more than the concert, the money, her name in lights. She rubbed his chin, sliding her fingers through his beard, and whispered, “Thank you for coming back to me.” “I had to.” He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “You’re my home.”