Chapter 16

• “You’re really not going to eat any of this?” Cole’s voice, playful but tinged with concern, pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the takeout boxes on the kitchen counter. He’d ordered our favorite food, a small comfort in the midst of everything that had been happening. Yet here I was, still standing at the counter, unsure whether to sit down and actually enjoy the meal or let it go cold.
• “I’m just... not hungry, I guess,” I muttered, trying to sound casual, but I could feel the weight of my words. The truth was, I wasn’t just avoiding food. I was avoiding something else—something I didn’t want to face.
• Cole’s expression softened. He set down the takeout box he’d been holding, his hands finding their way to his pockets as he studied me. “You’re still not okay with this, huh?”