Chapter 23: Stacy and Gray

Erin heads straight upstairs to his bedroom after entering the house, closing the door behind him. He ignores the way John’s smile drops after seeing his face and the way Natalie calls out his name in alarm as she rises from the couch.

He knows tears are still weeping out of his eyes, but his face is too numb to feel the trails they make down his skin. He discards his things in front of the bed and notices his hands still trembling. He stares at them and remembers the delighted feeling he felt intertwining them around long tan fingers. He clenches them together behind his back and whirls around when he hears the door open.

“Erin ...” Natalie says in a soft, stern voice. She hasn’t stepped into the room, one hand still on the door handle as John comes up behind her. They both have frowns on their faces and worry in their eyes. Neither of them is breathing. Like statues, they wait for a sign to proceed, too afraid that one wrong step will send Erin tumbling backward off a cliff.