Page 33 of The Fall

He chuckles. “She’s a handful, man, but there’s something about her that draws me in,” he explains. I nod in agreement because I feel the exact same way.

It takes about an hour after we reach the summit of our hike to get back to my car. We took our time coming down. Savannah walked behind me and Max again, but I kept looking over my shoulder to check on her. She seemed deep in thought, but occasionally, she’d catch me staring. Once, I could’ve sworn she almost smiled at me.

“Do you want shotgun this time, Sav?” Max asks, opening the passenger door. He didn’t even give her a chance when we left her apartment.

“Doesn’t matter,” Savannah answers. Max gestures toward the open door with his hand, so she slides in. I like having her sitting next to me.

“Thank you both for going hiking with me,” I tell them as I pull out of the parking lot and start on my way back to Savannah’s apartment.

“Yeah, man. It was fun,” Max says cheerily from the back.

“It was… not as bad as I thought,” Savannah reluctantly admits.

“I’ll take that,” I say, trying to hide my smile. Secretly, I wish it had been just the two of us, but I know that would be inappropriate. Honestly, I’m not sure she’d agree to go anywhere alone with me, which is probably for the best.

We’re barely on the road when my phone rings. It comes up on my hands-free, and I see it’s my mom. I never ignore a call from her because… I just never know what it might be.

“Sorry, guys, I need to answer this.” I press the accept button. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, honey.”

She sounds tired. More tired than I would expect for midday. “You ok?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I was just wondering where you were. Are you coaching today?”

I told her last night where I would be. She sounds confused, which the doctor said is a potential side effect of the medical trial she’s currently undergoing. I don’t want to make her feel bad, though, so I say, “No, I went hiking with Max and Savannah. I’m on my way home. Do you need anything?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Logan. Did you tell me and I forgot?”

I grip the steering wheel tighter. I don’t want to lie to her. “Yeah, Mom, but it’s ok.”

“Oh.” She sounds disappointed in herself, and I hate that. “Well, you have fun and I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, ok. Love you.”

“Love you, too, honey.” The call disconnects, and the car fills with silent tension.

After a few uncomfortable moments of me stewing in silence, I clear my throat. “Uh, do you guys mind if we stop by my house before I drop you off? It’s on the way. I just need to check on her.”

“Of course,” Savannah says quickly.

“Yeah, man. Totally fine,” Max agrees.

I nod several times. I know my mom is probably fine and she’ll be embarrassed if she knew I went out of my way to go check on her, but Anya had something to do this morning, so she’s not at home. Mom said last night that she was fine to stay by herself, but I should’ve known it wasn’t a good idea.

We ride the rest of the way to my house in silence.

“You guys can come in,” I tell them as I slide out of the car once I’m parked in the driveway. I’m sure they’re going to have questions about this anyway. Might as well get it over with.

They share a look, probably wondering whether they should, before they follow me into the house.

“Mom!” I call out as soon as I’m through the door. She’s not in the living room where I expect her to be, so I quickly walk down the hall to her room. I’m grateful that Savannah and Max decide to stay in the living room.

“Mom?” I knock gently on her door before I push it open. She’s sitting up in her bed, and I’m instantly hit with relief.

“Hi, honey. What are you doing home so soon?” she asks.

“I was worried about you, so I stopped home to check on you really quick,” I admit before sitting down on the corner of her bed.