Chapter 11 Eden #2
“Are you awake?” Addy asks.
“I’d be more awake if you gave me a Red Bull.”
“Red Bull is gonna send you to an early grave.”
“The devil would be so lucky,” Eden grins.
“We both know you’re not a functioning adult without one,” Addy remarks, retrieving one of his coveted energy drinks from the fridge for him, cracking it open so he can drink it one-handed since he’s still got Ella on his hip.
“Joke’s on you, I’m not a functioning adult with one either.”
“Can I try it?” Ella asks, reaching for the can when Eden takes a drink.
“Nope,” Eden answers, his brain buzzing with happiness from the first sip of caffeinated chemical goodness. “It’s bad for you.”
“Why’s it okay for you and bad for me?”
“Because.”
“That’s not a good reason,” Ella frowns, her small face so very serious.
“It’s for grown-ups,” Addy offers.
“Ugh, grown-ups,” Ella moans. “I don’t wanna be one of those, that sounds boring.”
“Not all of it is boring,” Eden tells her, taking another huge gulp of his drink. He licks his lips, trying not to think about the way Charlie tasted. Fuck.
“Is that why you was out so late?” Ella asks, starting Eden out of his wandering thoughts.
“Ella.”
“What? You said Eden was out late, and that’s why I wasn’t allowed to wake him up. Were you doing grown-up stuff, Eden?”
“You could say that,” Eden answers evasively, setting Ella down on one of the chairs at their dining table.
There’s a half-colored page in one of her coloring books along with a glass of juice.
Without asking if he wants to join, Ella opens her book to a new page and slides it between them on the table once Eden sits down beside her. “You color with me.”
It’s not a question, but even if it was, Eden would never tell her no.
“Can I have the pink crayon?”
“Uh-huh.” Ella digs for one in her plastic container of crayons. “That’s my favorite color.”
“I know,” Eden smiles. “Mine too.”
Ella holds it out, gasping when she notices what’s on Eden’s wrist. He took off all his other bracelets when he showered last night, but left this one on. He’s not sure he’ll ever take it off again.
“You found it!” Ella claps. “I was worried I’d have to make you a new one. That was hard work, you know. I was barely four when I made it.”
“You worked very hard,” Eden agrees.
“Good thing you got it back,” Ella says very seriously, sliding him the pink crayon.
“Where did you find it anyway?” Addy asks, joining them at the table.
“A friend gave it back,” Eden answers, unconsciously touching his mouth.
“A friend,” Addy echoes. She arches one polished eyebrow at him in a way that suggests she knows exactly what kind of friend he means, even if they haven’t had time to discuss things. “Is this friend the reason you got home so late?”
“Maybe,” Eden replies, aware that while Ella is coloring, she’s also listening to every word they say. He’s never met a nosier child. He drags the pink crayon across the hippo on his half of the coloring book, filling it in with vibrant pink.
Sure enough, it’s Ella who comes up with a response next. “Maybe he’s not a good friend if he kept you out late. Momma says good friends make you feel good.”
“You have a very smart momma.”
“Course I do,” Ella nods. “Momma is the smartest. Then me.”
“Where do I rank?” Eden asks, carefully coloring around his hippo’s eyes.
Ella hums thoughtfully. “You try really hard.”
Both Addy and Eden burst out laughing, and Ella frowns. “Don’t laugh at me.”
“We’re not laughing at you. We’re laughing at me,” Eden tells her. “I’m not that smart, but it’s okay because being smart doesn’t make you a better person.”
“Sofia S., not Sofia J. or Sophia T., isn’t that smart. She can never finish her worksheets, but she shares her fruit snacks with me at recess. She’s the best Sofia in my class.”
“Sharing fruit snacks is very nice,” Addy agrees.
“Except when she gives me the purple ones. Those are yucky.”
“Purple is the worst flavor,” Eden agrees.
“That’s why you’re my favorite,” Ella tells him, managing to heal the broken pieces of Eden’s heart with one casual sentence. “Hey, Momma. Can Eden take me to the park today?”
“I have to work,” Eden says with an apologetic smile.
“Why?” Ella asks, half-draping herself dramatically over her coloring page. “You worked all week. Momma said you’d play with me today. Momma lied.”
“Your momma didn’t lie, she didn’t know. I picked up an extra shift last night.”
“Why?” Addy asks.
“There was no work at the gallery this week, and with your car in the shop we needed the money.”
“You know my car isn’t your responsibility,” Addy points out.
“I want to help,” Eden asserts, unable to explain how terrified he sometimes feels of becoming a burden. Before he got this job at Juanita’s, money was painfully tight for weeks, and he knows Addy dipped into her savings to keep them from getting evicted.
“I know but—”
“No buts,” Eden interrupts.
“Okay,” Addy nods, reaching for his hand, squeezing it. “Thank you. Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t Eden be okay?” Ella interjects, watching them like a hawk. “Are you getting sick? Momma says I have to take my vitamins so I don’t get germs from school. Are you taking vitamins?”
“I don’t take vitamins,” Eden tells her.
Ella sighs. “No wonder you’re getting sick.”
“I’m not getting sick.”
“Was it an m-a-n?” Addy whispers.
“Was what a man?” Ella pipes up.
“We’re doomed,” Eden says. “She can spell.”
Addy laughs. “There goes all adult conversations.”
“Course I can spell, I’m in school,” Ella reminds them, launching into a story about something that happened at recess on Friday.
Her long-winded and detailed story lets Eden off the hook with Addy, for now.
He knows eventually he’s going to need to come clean and tell her what’s going on, but he’s not ready, not when all of it confuses him and makes him feel like someone is rubbing sandpaper on old wounds.
He’ll tell Addy everything. Later. Maybe. Or maybe there’s nothing to tell. It’s not like he’s going to see Charlie again. Hell, no normal person would want to see Eden after what he did last night.
Charlie is going to move on and forget Eden as easily as everyone else always has, leaving Eden free to go back to life as it was before. Sure it hurts, but it’s not like Eden isn’t used to wanting things he won’t ever have. Besides, he’s got Addy and Ella; he’s not alone.
The prospect of Charlie forgetting him should sting, but instead it settles something in Eden. Here he is getting himself worked up when really there’s nothing to worry about. Charlie King is like every other man on the planet. He got what he wanted from Eden—sex—and now he will move on.
Painful as it is for Eden, it’s for the best. He got too comfortable, got too close to letting someone in. Perhaps this is a necessary reminder for Eden to not let anyone get too close.
If there’s one thing Eden knows for sure, it’s that Charlie is done with him. Which is great, perfect even. Eden is done with men anyway, done with kissing, done with Charlie.
Everything is going to be fine.
Everything is not fine.
“You look like you saw un fantasma,” Rosio observes, staring at Eden with clear confusion.
In the short time he’s been working here, she’s becoming Eden’s favorite coworker.
Rosio is Juanita’s sister, making her three decades older than Eden, which probably explains why he immediately became attached to her.
She reminds him of what a grandma might be like.
She’s also been helping him improve his Spanish which makes it easier to converse with customers and Armando. “?Qué ocurre, mijo?”
If the answer wasn’t lodged in Eden’s throat, threatening to choke him, he might be able to explain the sheer panic engulfing him at the sight of a familiar bright yellow car parking out front.
A bright yellow Geo Tracker to be exact.
The most garish car Eden has ever seen, fitting given the owner and his taste in clothing.
On some level Eden knew this would happen eventually.
Charlie is a regular at Juanita’s, and he shouldn’t have to avoid his favorite food place just because Eden works here.
After a solid week without a hint of his presence, Eden was lured into a false sense of security.
He naively thought that Charlie being done with Eden meant he’d avoid him completely.
“Eden?” Rosio prompts. She’s got a hand on her hip and a question in her eyes, but Eden’s eyes are trained on the front window, watching with a mix of dread and longing sharp enough to take his breath away. Fucking Charlie.
The door to the Geo Tracker opens, a pair of hideous cow-printed Crocs come out followed by Charlie’s long legs.
He’s dressed in a pair of flare jeans with rainbow stitching and an oversized, paint-stained t-shirt.
His eyes are on his phone as he finishes stepping out, pushing his sunglasses onto the top of his head before shutting his car door.
He pockets his phone, lifting his gaze to the front door.
Without a second thought, Eden drops to the ground, and though there’s plenty of room behind the counter, he pulls himself into a small ball at Rosio’s feet.
“?Qué diablos estás haciendo?” Rosio questions, tone heavy with concerns.
“No estoy aqui,” Eden hisses.
“What in the—”
“Hola, Rosio. You’re looking lovely as always.”
“Mr. King. Are you here for your usual?”
“What else would I get?” Charlie laughs, and Eden can imagine the way his entire face might shift. He’s so expressive. “To go though. I’ve got a meeting with my agent I can’t avoid.”
“Anything else?” Rosio asks, ringing up his order.
“There is one thing,” Charlie says, leaning on the counter. If he peeks down, he’s going to see Eden. Fuck.
“What’s that?” Rosio asks.
“Is Eden working today?”
Eden squeezes Rosio’s leg so hard, he’s surprised she doesn’t kick him.
“Eden?”
“Yeah, you know sassy little blond guy. Works here. Very pretty. Very mouthy.”
Little. That absolute fucker.