Lost in You

We can be together.  
    The bedroom door squeaks open. I don’t have to turn around to know that it’s Dylan. She sets something on the table beside my bed and sits down. She’s so tiny the bed doesn’t even dip.
    I startle when she reaches out and touches me. Her arm wraps around my waist and she rests her body along mine. She gets as close as humanly possible. We’ve never been like this and I’m not sure how I feel about it. 
    “Ryan,” she whispers my name so softly it reminds me of Hadley saying my name earlier. I try to block that imagine out of my mind, but I can’t. From the sound of her name to her leaving me at the police station, I can’t shake it.
    “I know you’re hurting. I know it’s not the same, but I’ve been there. I’ve been in love and it hurts like hell when you’re not ready to quit and someone else is. Things get better, I promise you. And I also promise you that whatever happened this weekend and what’s going on now, no one will ever know about it from me. I’ll keep your secrets, Ryan.”
    I roll over and pull Dylan’s hand into mine, not afraid to let her see how much I’m hurting.
    “You’ll be okay,” she whispers. She rests her head on my chest and holds me while my heart shatters into a million pieces.

CHAPTER 32
    Hadley
     
     
    Waking up in my childhood bedroom isn’t anything like what you see on television. My room isn’t bubblegum pink with posters of boy bands adorning the walls. My prom queen tiara isn’t hanging from my vanity with my singing trophies. Nothing like that exists in this room. Now, this is where guests sleep. They crawl into a queen-sized bed with decorative pillows. They can watch TV on the flat screen mounted to the wall. They never know that this used to be a girl’s room.
    The walls are yellow, it’s calming and inviting according to my mom. I have no problem sleeping here. In fact, I like it. It brings back memories. Sometimes I miss the safety of my parents' house. I bury myself deeper into the pillows. I don’t want to start the day. I don’t want to think about yesterday and what it means. I don’t want to constantly check my phone hoping he’ll call, knowing that he can’t. Maybe I shouldn’t have turned off his phone, but I had to. I’d be too tempted to contact him. The desire to hear his voice is already pounding in my head.
    My parents took today off work to help me deal with Ian. I told them it wasn’t necessary, but they insisted. My dad said I’m still his baby girl and if he wants a day off to watch over me, no one is going to stop him. I didn’t want to show him how much his words had affected me, so I curled up on the couch and rested my head on his leg. My mom sat at the other end holding my legs, much like they do when I’m sick.
    I finally drag myself out of bed and into the kitchen. Dad's cooking and Mom's sitting at the bar sipping her requisite cup of coffee and reading the paper. I sit on the stool next to her and steal a piece of her toast.
    “What do you want for breakfast?” Dad smiles at me as I sit down.
    I shrug. “Whatever you’re making is fine.”
    He winks before turning back to the stove. Mom pushes the rest of her toast over to me as she closes the newspaper. “How’d you sleep?”
    “Fine, actually. But anything is better than a hotel bed.”
    “I don’t know why you insist on staying in a hotel when you’re in L.A. Why not just buy a place?”
    “Because I don’t want to live there, Mom,” I say as I pick at the toast. My dad sets down a plate with eggs over easy, bacon and hash browns.
    “What time will Ian be here?” she asks. I look at the clock and sigh. He and Cole took the red-eye, which arrives in New York at six and that means any minute.
    “They're probably on their way now unless they checked into the hotel first.”
    “Well, it will be good to see Cole.”
    I give my mom the stink eye. I know she loves him, but come on. She puts her hand on my wrist and gives it a squeeze.
    “I’m just saying it will be nice, not that I want you guys back together.”
    “Uh huh.”
    I give her a kiss on her cheek and head back to my room. I dig through my old dresser for some sweats and a t-shirt. I wasn’t planning on staying the night, but as soon as Mom came home last night I realized that I needed my parents.
    I quickly hop in the shower. I know Ian will be here soon. He never misses an opportunity to rub it into my parents that he controls my everyday life. But