Roland tucked his phone into his side pocket, gently, as he turned around, striding back to meet Lauren where she sat.
“Roland, is everything alright?”
“Yes,” he answered in a calm voice. “Everything’s fine. It's just that a little issue came up and I'd be leaving tonight.”
“Leaving,” Lauren’s breath caught. “Why, where will you be going?”
“I'll…” Roland’s voice trailed at the sight of the confusion in her eyes. His stomach churned, breath scraping down his lungs. She was hurting already. How could he look her in the eyes and lie?
“Lauren.”
“You can tell me,” she said. “Big brother, whatever it is, you can trust me with it.”
Roland gritted his teeth, looking her up close.
“Is this about Jason?” Lauren asked, voice edged with desperation. “If something is going on between you two
