Switching Lanes (10 page)

Chapter Sixteen

After
breakfast we get back into the car and go to the first apartment on our list. It’s not far from campus. Alexis pulls up along the curb, and we get out and walk inside the empty apartment. It’s small, but it has two bedrooms, a living room, an eat-in kitchen, and a den off to the side. The bathroom is small and would be a really tight fit to get ready in. We walk into each of the bedrooms; they are the same size small, though.

“I’m not a fan of this one. I think we will be on top of each
other in this place,” I tell Alexis as we descend the stairs back to the car.

“I wasn’t a fan of it either.
On to the next one.”

We get to the next one
, which isn’t very far from the first one we were just at. We walk up one flight of stairs and immediately I like what I see. The front door leads you right into the living room and the kitchen faces the living room, splitting the two rooms with a long island with stool. The kitchen is small but could work, since the living space is large. We walk down the hall from the living room and it leads to a bigger bathroom with two sinks and a vanity mirror, a tub, and walk-in shower.

“I haven’t even seen the bedrooms yet and I’m already in love with the place,” I tell Alexis as she trails along with me.

We dodge into each bedroom; equal in size, not too big and not too small. One bedroom is across the hall from the other. I can totally picture us living here.

“This is the one,” Alexis says.

“I agree. We need to call the realtor and let her know,” I say with excitement.

Alexis pulls out her phon
e and calls Bethany, to let her know we want this apartment. I’m glad we didn’t have to go looking around all day. I need to sleep this hangover off. I pull out my own phone and check for any messages. I don’t know why I was even expecting to see anything, but I see one from Layne, from really late last night. I must have gotten it after I passed out.

This will be my last text to you. I really hope you can at least hear me out, then decide if you want to throw our friendship away or try to salvage what we have going. Call me or text me back.

His text makes me want to cry. Is our friendship worth giving up over this? Is what we had salvageable? I don’t know. I don’t text him back right away. I need time to think.

“Bethany said we can drop off
first month’s rent and we can start moving in as soon as we want,” Alexis says happily.

“Oh
my gosh, I’m so excited. We should drop off the money now and then we can just worry about moving in,” I tell her.

“Sounds good.
I need to go to the machine to get money out.”

“Me too, since we are splitting the bills,” I tell her.

Luckily, I have enough money saved up and the help from my parents makes up the rest of my share. They insisted on helping me out. I think deep down they feel guilty by what happened with my step dad when I was younger. Even though they are divorced and have been since I was born, they provide me with what I need. I don’t go home often, but when I did after Amber’s death, there was still tension among my mother and me. I don’t know if she feels guilty or what, but I don’t like the looks I would catch her giving me, like she was disgusted with me. I don’t know why I even thought going home would give me peace to grieve over my best friend. I think, given the circumstances, my mom tried the best she could while I grieved.

“What’s wrong? You looked like someone just kicked you,” Alexis says as we head to the bank machine.

“I heard from Layne again. He wants us to talk about what happened. But I don’t know if I’m even ready to see him yet,” I tell her.

“Whatever you decide, I support you. But you have to remember you two have been friends for years. Is what happened worth throwing it all away?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” I rub my head, wishing the headache would ease up.

We drop off the first month’s rent to the realtor and she hands us the keys to the place. I’m so excited to be roommates with Alexis. And we can keep each other accountable. Since school is still out for the holiday, I
’ll take a nap and ask Alexis is she wants to start the move later that day.

Alexis drops m
e off and I slip into bed, hoping to get rid of the sick feeling, from the hangover and the fight with Layne. I cry myself to sleep.

~
~ ~ ~ ~

I wake up four hours later, feeling slightly better than before. I call Alexis. “Hey chick, do you want to get started on moving things in before school starts?”

“Sounds good to me. And I have furniture in storage, since I didn’t use it at the other apartment. We should be good for a few things. We can even go to that
Home Goods
store, they usually have cheap stuff.”

I hate the thought of school being back in session
. The campus has been like a ghost town with the students being away, visiting their families. Only us twisted fucks stayed behind. It’s true. With school back in session in a few short days, I may run into Layne and I don’t want to see him. But he knows where most of my classes are, so the odds are against me. My phone buzzes, bringing my thoughts back to the present.

I’m in the parking lot. Are you ready to go?
Alexis asks.

Be right out.

I get up off my bed and grab my purse and throw my phone inside.

“Hey. I got you another coffee. I thought you might need it.” Alexis hands me a mug and I immediately taste it. 

“You are a lifesaver. I can’t wait to get to that store. But I need some food stat,” I tell her as my stomach rumbles.

“Then how about the local pizza shop, where I work?
They have good pizza,” she entices.

“Are you sure you want to go there, on your day off?” I ask.

“Oh yeah, it’s fine. I can check my schedule for next week while we’re there.”

“Then it’s settled.
” The local pizza shop is the same one that Amber applied at, but she never went back. I think back fondly.

We pull up to the pizzeria and go inside. I can smell the melted cheeses and the sauce smells amazing. We approach the counter and I order a slice of pepperoni pizza and a coke and find a seat while
Alexis checks her schedule. I see a figure approaching me out of the corner of my eye. Looking over, I see Layne and our eyes lock before he speaks.

He sits in the seat across from me. “I’ll only be a moment and you don’t have to say anything. But I’d really like a chance to explain what happened. If you can find it in your heart to at least hear me out, you know where to find me. I’ll wait for as long as it takes for you to see I’m not the bad guy
, Renee. And I miss you.” He stands and walks back over to where he was sitting. I’m frozen in my seat and my emotions are all over the place. I want to hug him and forget about anything that was said, but life doesn’t work like that.

Alexis slides into the seat across from me with a slice of cheese pizza and a soda. “Renee, what’s wrong?”

My eyes just stare into nothing out the window. “Layne is here. I should have noticed his car out there, but I wasn’t paying attention. He came over here and asked me to hear him out, and I did.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing; I didn’t say anything. I wanted to reach over the table and hug him and never let go. But I couldn’t move; it was like I was paralyzed,” I tell her.

“If I had a “Layne
,” I would hug him and resolve this thing you two have going,” Alexis says.

“You don’t even like to be touched,” I tell her.

“I was just sayin’,” she says, smiling. “I’m trying her; give a girl a break. Stop busting my balls.”

“Okay,
I’m not liking where this conversation is headed.” I laugh.

We eat our
slices and just as I’m about to exit the shop I look over to Layne and he winks at me followed by a weak smile. I look away and walk to the car, knowing his eyes have followed me out the window.

“God, could he be any more obvious. The guy is in love with you whether you want to believe it or not. Even I know that look,” Alexis says sliding behind the wheel.

“Really?” I ask sarcastically.
What would she know?

“I do watch movies and read books, so you know,” she says as if
reading my thoughts. “I’m not completely dense,” she adds.

“Seriously, I don’t want to think about it, not right now.”

Shit, by that look he gave, it would make any woman drop her panties on the spot, right there in the restaurant. No shame.

I try to shake Layne from being in my head and we pull into
Home Goods
. Inside, I grab a cart and we start piling in lamps, shelves, and kitchen stuff. I order a bed to have delivered in a few days along with a decent dresser I can actually store my clothes in without being overstuffed.

We manage to make it out of the store with some good stuff and things that will hold us over for now. “I can’t believe we made it out there without buying the whole store. I love that place,” Alexis says as we fill her trunk.

“I know, right.”

We head to the apartment and we sort everything out.
I place our dishes in the cupboard after I wash them. Alexis hangs some of the shelves and places a little table by the door. We spend most of the evening setting the apartment up.

“I have a couch in storage it’s comfortable b
ut I can’t load it in my SUV.”

“I happen to know someone with a truck
.” I smirk at the thought of Cole.

“You’re not going to give up
, are you?”

I shake my head no
with a smile plastered across my face. “You know you like him,” I torment her.

“Whatever, he has a truck. See if he is available over the weekend
,” she tells me with a hand on her hip.

I grab my phone from my purse and Alexis stands beside me in anticipation. I find Cole’s number and send him a text.

Hey, it’s Renee. Alexis and I found an apartment right off campus. Are you available to help us move next weekend?

We wait all of thirty seconds before the phone buzzes.
I’ll be available. Just text me when and where and I’ll be there. I’ll even bring coffee.

Alexis and I both smile at Cole’s gesture. “See
? He is a good guy,” I tell her. I text back our address and the time to be there.

“I never said he wasn’t. I’ve
never been with a guy, besides, you know.” Her eyes focus on the tile of the kitchen floor.

“
I’m not saying jump in bed with him. If he says something to you, just take things slow. See where it goes. What could it hurt?” I ask her.

She shrugs her shoulders, and clams up. “You make it sound so easy.”

“I never said it would be
easy; trust me, I know from experience. I haven’t found a guy yet that makes me forget about the past when I’m with him. It’s hard living the lives we live and the torment that follows. But we have to try.” I don’t know if I’m trying to convince her or myself.

Chapter Seventeen

School is back in full swing, and it’s been several days since I last talked
to or seen Layne. My heart feels like it is still broken in half and I’m not sure if it will get pieced back together or not. I think when he broke my heart he took the other half with him. He probably doesn’t even know he took it with him. How can someone survive with half a heart?

As the days come and
go, the thought of Layne out of my life for good, is not making any sense. He makes me happy, even if we are only friends. Maybe I’ll never fill that void that I feel when I’m with him. I just don’t know how we can go back to the way it was before.

It’s finally Friday and I walk to my last class in a daze, as I have all week. I’ve come to the realization that I at least owe it to myself to hear Layne out. And if I’m not happy with how it goes, I can cut ties. But I do owe myself this one thing.

My bed was delivered to the apartment and I’m finally going to be sleeping in it tonight. Cole is all set for helping get the couch to the apartment tonight.

After class
, I head over to the new apartment, ecstatic that I don’t have to live in a dorm any longer. This will be the first night in the new place. Since Alexis was too chicken to do it, I had to ask Cole if he could pick up the couch at the storage location Alexis had it stored at. And he said he would. I get to the apartment and find Alexis sitting on a stool in the kitchen.

“Welcome home,” she says enthusiastically.

“I’m so glad to have a place off campus. Isn’t Cole back yet?” I ask while looking around.

“No,
not yet. You need to be prepared for who might walk through that door,” Alexis says in a fast tone.

“What do you mean?
What are you talking about?”

“I mean, you might be facing Layne sooner than you thought. You two need to work this out before it’s too late,” she says.

“I can’t even be mad at you.”

I walk out of the room, and go brush my hair and my teeth real quick and I freshen up my makeup. Once I’m satisfied with the look, I make my way back out into the kitchen and join Alexis by sitting on the stool next to her.

My phone buzzes.
We’re here. What floor you on?

My stomach drops.

Come up to the second floor, apartment four. We’ll have the door open, so you can come on in.

My heart begins to pound forcefully against my ribcage. I try to calm myself by taking a deep breath, but I don’t think it’s working. I hear the commotion outside in the hall as they come up the stairs.

“I’ll order some pizza. Got to give them some sort of payment,” Alexis says
, grabbing her phone.

I shake my head, because I know neither Cole nor Layne would expect any sort of payment.
They come in with each end of the couch in their hands. Layne nods at me and I point to where the couch should be and move out of the way. They sit the couch down, and Cole walks out. Layne comes over to me. “Can we talk in a bit?” he asks. I can see the hope in his eyes that I’ll finally listen to him.

“Sure,” I give him a weak smile as he walks out to join Cole to grab some boxes Alexis had in storage.

“Pizza is on the way. It’s my treat, so don’t worry about it. What did Layne say?” she whispers.

“He asked if we could talk in a bit. I can’t say I’m not nervous because my stomach is in knots right now.” I hold my stomach to try and calm my nerves. Of course I would hear him out, I owe us both that. The pizza guy appears at the door in a flash and Alexis pays for it and brings it to the kitchen setting it on the island. I grab some paper plates and napkins. The boys come in and set the boxes down when the
y see we got pizza.

“Smells good,” Cole says.

“Help yourself,” Alexis tells them.

I grab a slice and watch as Layne does the same. We don’t speak, but I feel his gaze on me, making me feel uneasy, and I’m hoping my cheeks aren’t flushed.
Once Cole and Layne finish their slice of pizza, they move a few of the boxes into Alexis’s room. I notice Cole comes back out to the kitchen, but Layne still hasn’t come out.

LAYNE

I walk into Renee’s room to check it out. She has a picture of us from
one the parties I had this year on her nightstand. I pick it up and look at us; we look like two best friends having a good time. It’s been a struggle not having her in my life these last few weeks. Actually, it’s been hell and I missed her smiling face, and it damn near killed me trying my best to give the space she wanted. But now I’ve had enough, and she is lucky she agreed to finally talk to me or else I would have made her listen to me.

Renee appears
in the doorway and she leans against the door frame and crosses her arms over her chest. “What are you doing in here?”

“Waiting for you.
Come sit.” I pat the empty space on the bed next to me. She sits next to me and doesn’t say anything. Instead, she turns to face me and crosses her legs into a pretzel and I do the same. As her eyes bore into mine, I want to grab her and kiss the hell out of her, but I know I can’t.

I grab her hand and pull it into my lap, holding onto it, partly so she can’t escape and partly because I need to touch her, even if it isn’t
sexual. I just need to feel her, to make sure she is real and that I didn’t dream her up all those years ago. “I just wanted to tell you that I am deeply sorry. Honestly, I don’t know if what Dylan said was true or if he just wanted a rise out of you. What I do know, is that at that time I was in a messed up place, grieving Amber’s death. I was mostly in a daze and I don’t even know how I survived it myself. If I would have known I would have killed him with my bare hands and then told you about it. I would never intentionally keep that from you. Honestly, though, I think he just wanted a rise out of you. Do you think you can forgive me and move past this?”

I watch as her body relaxes. “I’m sorry I slapped you. I let my emotions get the best of me and I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I miss my best friend and I’d love nothing more than to move past this
.” She smiles.

I throw my arms around her and kiss her cheek multiple times
, causing her to giggle.

“Okay let’s not get carried away
here.” She giggles as she pushes me away. We should head back out there before they think we are in here doing something else.” She flashes me a wink.

Her comment
makes me chuckle, because I don’t see how that could be a bad thing. I throw my arm around her shoulder, kiss the side of her head, and then we meet Cole and Alexis in the kitchen as they are laughing over pizza.

“You guys cool?” Cole asks.

“We’re cool,” Renee says before I can answer.

“Thank god,” Alexis says
with a roll of her eyes.

“Okay let’
s pop this champagne open to celebrate your apartment,” I say, grabbing hold of the bottle. I open it and the cork flies across the room, causing the liquid to pour over. I rush to fill everyone’s glass. We clink our glasses and sip on the fruity champagne.

RENEE

I’m happy Layne and I
were able to move past this. I missed him so much, that even my heart hurt, physically and emotionally. And the last few weeks have been hell without him in my life. Sometimes, especially with us being so close this year, I feel like I need to live and breathe him. If only I were brave enough to tell him.

“You guys coming to the race tomorrow?” Layne asks.

“I’ll be there,” I say to him as I look over to Alexis and Cole.

“The three of us will be there,” Alexis says, causing Cole to raise his eyebrow
at her, and she smiles. The girl is radiating a glow that I’ve only seen when Cole is around.

We all sit in the kitchen
, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. I can’t believe Layne and I are back to being best friends and it’s like no time passed. He gave the space I needed and then it was time to confront the issue. I’m thankful he came and asked to talk. Seeing him in my bedroom and on my bed raised the hotness factor, and I couldn’t help but wonder.

Being away from Layne any longer
would have only depressed me and I probably would have started starving myself again. But by doing that, I only hurt myself. Luckily, I have Alexis for support as well as me supporting her if the need arises. I watch as the three laugh at something Cole said and I feel lucky to have these people in my life. I have a feeling Cole will be sticking around for a while, especially where Alexis is concerned. Layne catches me looking around.

“Everything okay
?” he asks while rubbing his hand on my back.

“Yes
. I just happy, and I feel content. It’s hard to explain.”

“I know what you mean. I’m glad you are giving our friendship another chance. I missed you,” he whispers.

“I missed you, too,” I bump his shoulder with mine, throwing him off balance.

“Well
, I better go; I have a race to prepare for tomorrow. You ready, Cole?” Layne asks.

“Yep
. Thanks for the pizza,” he says to Alexis.

“Thank you guys for moving that stuff in here.” Alexis motions
, pointing to the couch and boxes scattered across the floor.

Layne hugs me tight
, “See you tomorrow,” and he plants a kiss on my cheek.

Alexis and I bid them goodbye and we start to unpack some of the boxes she had stored.
“Did Cole ask you out yet?” I say, pouring some of the champagne into my glass.

“No, he didn’t. We are friends. That is all,” she says.

“Okay. I just thought I’d ask.  He seems to be smitten with you.” I giggle.

“How about we just focus on unpacking these boxes?” Alexis says.

“Fine.”

I grab a box with kitchen utensils and I wash them before putting them in the drawer.
Once we get the kitchen done, then we tackle a few more small boxes with knick knacks and throw pillows and such. “This couch is pretty comfy,” I say after bouncing on it.

“I know
; I love it,” Alexis says.

I step back and admire the work we put into the apartment. The dark blue oversized couch and ottoman are the star
s of the living room. There is a small TV on a stand against the wall. And we have a full view into the small kitchen and the little red appliances decorating the counters. Around the corner from the living room is the hallway that leads to the full bath and then our bedrooms at the end. My bedroom has a nice picture window with a seat and storage underneath; it will be my reading spot for sure. My bed has the sleigh bed headboard and footboard and cost me a small fortune on my credit card. But I love it and it was worth every penny.

Once Alex
is and I finish what needs to be done, I settle into my comfortable bed with a book until I fall asleep.