Chapter 5
Frankie
“I love this song,” Lou yelled over the music, shaking her hips from side to side.
“This song blows,” Brody countered. “What is this shit?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I swayed in place, letting the music soothe me.
We’d taken over Cian and Myla’s place for the night, but they didn’t seem to mind. Cian was currently playing beer pong with Rumi on the kitchen table, and Myla was pulling random shit out of the fridge in an attempt to feed everyone.
“We should just order Chinese,” I called as I made my way over to her, my steps a little unsteady. “That sounds so good.”
“How the hell are we going to order Chinese food for all these people?” she asked with a laugh, throwing her arm out.
“I’ll take up a collection!” I spun on my heel and stomped over to Rumi. “You want Chinese food?”
“Fuck yeah.”
“Pay up,” I ordered, sticking my hand out. He immediately slapped a twenty in it.
“That works,” Myla said with a shrug.
I made my way through the house, asking people for cash. Every single one of them handed me money with no argument. By the time I made it to the far end of the living room, I had more than enough to order a feast, but fair was fair, so I put out my hand when I reached Gray and Brody’s little brother Jamison.
“You guys want Chinese food?”
“Sure,” Jamison said as they both reached for their wallets. He handed me a twenty.
Gray handed me a fifty.
“This is too much,” I argued, trying to hand it back.
“Cover anyone who doesn’t have the cash,” he said, putting his wallet away.
“That would be…me,” I joked.
“There ya go.”
I smiled and turned back toward the kitchen to count the cash and see how much we could order.
The night was going pretty well, considering I’d had the most stressful two weeks of my life. Scott was getting more and more brazen at work, and he’d even shown up at my house twice. Lou had told him that I wasn’t home, but my Tahoe had been sitting in the driveway, and he hadn’t believed her.
I didn’t know what to do to make him get the fucking hint. I didn’t want anything to do with him. If it was up to me, I’d never have to see his slimy face again. Unfortunately, he seemed to be everywhere. It’s why we hadn’t had people over to our house. I’d been too worried that he’d show up, and someone would let him in not realizing that he was persona non-grata.
The tiny bright spot in the last two weeks had been the clean bill of health I’d gotten back from my STI screening. Learning that the asshole had given me syphilis would’ve been the cherry on top of the shit sundae I was already dealing with.
“Whoa,” Myla said as I waved the cash at her. “That was fast.”
“Everyone’s hungry.”
“Why do you think I was trying to feed them?” she bitched as she slid a tub of sour cream back in the fridge.
“What were you going to do with that?”
“I don’t know.” She threw her hands up in the air, and I laughed.
After counting out the money and making a massive order at the closest restaurant, I stuffed the cash into my back pocket and made my way over to where Lou was talking with Nova on the couch.
“What are you two gossiping about?” I asked. As I spoke, someone turned down the music, and my voice rang through the room. “Well. That was awkward,” I said a little quieter.
“We’re not gossiping,” Lou said, leaning against my side. “She was telling me about Bird.”
“He’s good?” I asked, perking up a little. Nova’s little brother was the shit. He was going to school across the country, and I hadn’t seen him in ages, though we did send funny cat pictures back and forth pretty regularly.
“He said he’s almost done with his PhD,” Nova replied, grinning. “I can’t freaking wait for him to be home. I don’t know why he couldn’t have gone to school somewhere closer.”
“Said every parent, ever,” Lou teased.
“I know, right?” Nova laughed. “I’m so proud of him.”
“Never expected anything less from the little fella.”
“I’m going to tell him you called him little fella ,” Nova threatened.
“Do it. If it bothers him, he can bring it. I kicked his ass before, and I can do it again.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Lou said with a cackle. “He had you pinned like a pretzel.”
“Agree to disagree,” I replied loftily.
“You can’t agree to disagree with facts , Francesca.”
“Watch me.”
We chatted for a while about everything and nothing, and I remembered for the thousandth time how much I liked Rumi’s wife. Nova was smart and thoughtful and didn’t take any of Rumi’s shit. They fit together so well, I couldn’t imagine either of them with anyone else.
When the doorbell rang, I sprang up from the couch and headed to the door, stumbling over someone’s bag that they’d left in the walkway.
“I’m coming,” I called, laughing.
I was still smiling when I opened up the door expecting to see the delivery person, but my face immediately fell when I realized who it was.
“What are you doing here?” I asked flatly.
“It’s Saturday night,” Scott said, holding up a bouquet of lilies. “I figured I’d see what you were up to.”
My skin crawled as he looked me up and down. I wasn’t wearing anything revealing, but I remembered with unfortunate clarity that he’d already seen every inch of my body. I’d never wanted to go back in time so badly.
“You need to leave,” I said woodenly, trying not to raise my voice and alert anyone inside the house.
“Frankie, can’t we just talk? You’ve been avoiding me for weeks.”
“Catch a fucking hint, Scott,” I snapped, gripping the door so hard that the tips of my fingers turned white.
“It’s not like you can avoid me forever. We work together.”
There it was, the insidious implication I better play nice or shit was going to get even worse for me at the office.
“Baby, is the food here?” a familiar voice murmured behind me as a warm hand slid around my back to grip my hip. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
I leaned back against Gray, playing along.
“Come on, Frankie,” Scott muttered, his eyes still on my face. “Come outside so we can talk this out.”
“There’s nothing to talk out,” I replied.
Behind Scott an unfamiliar car double-parked on the street.
“You need to leave,” Gray announced, his hand tightening on my hip.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Scott replied dismissively. “It’s between me and Frankie.”
Before I could tell him, again, that we didn’t have anything to talk about, Gray was gently pulling me further inside. “Close the door, yeah?” he murmured in my ear before stepping out onto the porch.
“What’s goin’ on?” Rumi asked as I stared at Gray’s back. “Thought the food was here?”
“Um,” I muttered, not sure what to say.
“You’re gonna forget Francesca exists,” Gray was saying, stepping forward slowly and herding Scott backward down the porch stairs.
“I have no issue with you,” Scott protested.
“That your ex-boy toy?” Rumi asked, pushing past me.
I gnawed on the inside of my cheek as both men squared up, side by side.
“You’re gonna have an issue with me if you don’t leave her the fuck alone,” Gray replied to Scott, his voice even.
“Man, I don’t even know you.”
“You don’t wanna know me, but I know you,” Gray countered. “Pretty boy flunked out of college his parents were paying for, so his uncle hired him to push papers around at his construction company. Pay is good, but the work is shit because you’re not actually qualified to do anythin’. Sound familiar?”
“Fuck you,” Scott spat.
“Get the fuck outta here,” Gray ordered. “I don’t want to see you on this street again.”
“I’ll see you at work, Frankie,” Scott called out, assuming I was still listening even though he couldn’t see me. “We’ll talk then.”
I wasn’t sure how Rumi was able to hold Gray back when he lunged for Scott, but I was so thankful he did. If I’d thought work was a nightmare before, I couldn’t imagine how bad it would be if Scott got his ass handed to him by one of my friends.
Everything was silent for a moment.
“I’ve got food for Myla?” the delivery driver called out warily.
“Yeah, man,” Rumi answered, letting go of Gray. “In here.”
“Oh, good. It’s a lot of food. I was a little worried it was a prank.”
“No prank, just a lot of hungry people,” Rumi announced happily. “I’ll take that one. You got more?”
“I’ll run back and get it,” the delivery guy mumbled.
I moved out of the way as Rumi carried a box of food into the house. Gray had shifted to the side and was gripping the porch railing like he was trying to kill it.
“Gray?” I called out softly.
He spun toward me in surprise.
“Thought I told you to go inside.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“You hear him?”
“I heard him.”
“He’s been botherin’ you at work?”
“He bothers me everywhere,” I replied, stepping out onto the porch. “Work, home, here .”
“You report it?”
“Hell no.”
Gray nodded as I stepped in next to him at the railing. “You wanna tell me what he did?”
I thought about the moment I’d realized he hadn’t been using a condom without my consent. My skin crawled with disgust and embarrassment. “No.”
“All right,” he said with a sigh. “There any way you can steer clear of him at work?”
“No,” I confessed, my voice small.
Gray’s jaw flexed as he watched the delivery guy pile two boxes on top of each other.
“I’ll figure it out,” I assured him. “Thanks for stepping in tonight.”
The buzz I’d been enjoying was completely gone.
“Don’t drop ’em,” Rumi called as he raced down the stairs. He grabbed the boxes. “More?”
“One more,” the delivery guy confirmed.
“Cool, bring it up on the porch.” He turned and carried the boxes back toward the house.
“I still need to get paid,” the driver called out worriedly.
“Oh, I’ve got it,” I said, pulling the cash out of my pocket. “How much do I owe you?”
I went down into the yard and exchanged payment for the last box of food, adding on a generous tip. When I turned back toward the house, Gray was no longer on the porch.
The rest of the night settled into a blur of fun and comfort, but the leftover anxiety from the encounter with Scott never lessened. I didn’t see Gray again. He must’ve left while we were opening all the food. I wondered if he thought I was an idiot for getting mixed up with someone from work.
Hell, I knew I was an idiot for doing it. It was just a little hard to swallow that the man I’d put on a pedestal as the ideal I compared all other men against knew it too. Twice he’d seen me dealing with stuff I’d rather no one else know about. He was probably counting his lucky stars he’d walked away after we’d hooked up.
The rest of the weekend passed far too quickly for my comfort and when Monday rolled around, I had a hard time getting out of bed. I wished I could just go to sleep and have the entire day over with. Instead, I pushed myself up and headed for the shower. Afterward, I walked back into my room and pulled on a pair of baggy sweats and a hoodie.
I dug through my sock drawer until I found the fuzziest ones I owned, black with a little bee on them with a speech bubble coming out of its mouth like a cigarette that said buzz off . They fit my mood.
Lou had already left for work, and I wandered around the house for a while until it was time to call for a car. It took about ten minutes before they pulled up outside, and I used the time to make sure I had everything I needed in my purse. With a deep breath, I walked outside and locked the door behind me.
I didn’t meet the driver’s eye as I gave him the clinic’s address and buckled my seat belt. He could think whatever he wanted about me. I didn’t give a shit.
The next hour was pretty hazy. The receptionist at the clinic had been a year behind me in school. They had short orange and purple hair that stuck up in a faux hawk and gauges in their ears that I could fit my thumb through. I loved them. We’d never hung out in the same crowd, which had made it easier to face them initially, but I knew within minutes of checking in why they’d been hired. They were maybe the most welcoming, thoughtful, and nonjudgmental person I’d ever met.
When I stepped inside the building, I hadn’t even passed the security guard before they were out of their seat and rounding the counter to meet me.
“Hey, Frankie,” they greeted easily, smiling as I shuffled forward.
It was the right thing. I had no doubts. I had no reservations. My decision was clear as glass. I was still nervous as I met their eyes.
“I’ll walk you back,” they said, reaching out to give my arm a squeeze. “Doctor’s back there waiting on you.”
“Am I late?” I ask as I followed them into the back hallway.
“Nope,” they assured me. “You just won’t have to wait.”
We went over my options one more time. Discussed aftercare. The doctor was kind and matter of fact as she looked at my file. She didn’t question me for a moment as I answered her questions clearly and decisively.
I stared at the light covers that were decorated in blue skies and clouds until the medicine knocked me out. When I woke up in recovery, there was a warm blanket pulled up to my shoulders and a kind nurse sitting in a chair beside me.
“Feeling okay?” she asked as she rose to her feet.
“You’re already done?” I asked groggily.
“All done,” she confirmed with a small smile. “The procedure went perfectly. As soon as you’re up and around, you can have someone pick you up.”
“Okay,” I rasped, leaning back on the pillow as relief made my head feel light.
I was done. It was finally over. Tears rolled down my face as I closed my eyes. Thank God.
A little while later when I was feeling steadier, I sent for a car and put my clothes back on, glad that I’d opted for comfort when I’d gotten dressed. I wanted to crawl in bed and watch movies for the rest of the day or lose myself in a book. I wasn’t going to move until I had to be at work on Wednesday.
“Thanks, Jesse,” I called out as I passed the reception desk, my aftercare instructions and antibiotics stuffed into my purse.
“Take care,” they called back, looking at me over their shoulder.
The sun was bright against my eyeballs as I stepped outside, and I paused for a second to get my bearings. The car I’d ordered was sitting at the curb waiting, and I took a few steps forward before I froze.
I couldn’t get in there. I didn’t know that man. He was waiting patiently with a bland look on his face. He wasn’t threatening, he didn’t even seem very big, but I couldn’t make myself move.
“Frankie?” he called, leaning toward the passenger seat.
I shook my head. Even my vocal cords seemed to be frozen.
My hands shook as I pulled out my phone.
Gray answered on the first ring.
“You okay?”
“Hey,” I ground out, still staring at the car that was supposed to be driving me home. “Um, are you busy?”
“It’s noon on a Monday,” he replied dryly.
“Right. Um, never mind.”
“What do you need?”
“No, it’s okay. Sorry. I’ll talk to you—”
“Francesca,” he barked, cutting me off. “What do you need?”
“A ride?” I answered quietly.
“Where are you?”
I clenched my hand around my purse. “The clinic.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
“You really don’t have to. I shouldn’t have called—”
“Ten minutes.”
He hung up before I could argue again.
“You sure you’re not Frankie?” the driver called through the open window.
“No,” I called back, going into the app to cancel the ride.
After a moment, the driver cursed and pulled back onto the road.
The minutes dragged by while I waited for Gray to get there. I should’ve made other arrangements, but I hadn’t realized that getting in a car with a stranger was going to spook me. We’d used that service hundreds of times in the last few years without a problem. Hell, I’d just used it an hour and a half before. I could handle myself, and if things got really squirrelly, I carried pepper spray in my purse.
“You can wait inside if you want,” Jesse called, poking their head out of the door. “Until your ride gets here.”
“That’s okay.” I shook my head.
“Okay, let me know if you change your mind. You want Hal to wait with you?”
Right, because standing outside with a security guard wouldn’t look conspicuous. I shook my head again.
The door had barely closed behind them when a vaguely familiar SUV pulled up to the curb. Ignoring the fact that it wasn’t an actual parking spot, Gray climbed out of the driver’s seat and rounded the hood.
“You didn’t have to get out,” I chastised, hurrying toward him.
“All set?” he asked, opening the passenger door for me.
“Yeah.” I gingerly climbed into the car and held my purse on my lap.
God, I was such an asshole. I shouldn’t have called him in the middle of the day to pick me up. We were barely even friends. I should’ve just gotten over myself and taken the car I’d ordered.
“You hungry?” Gray asked as he got into the car.
“Not really. Thank you so much for doing this. Seriously.”
“No problem,” he replied, pulling out onto the road. “You sure you’re not hungry? I’m gonna run through somewhere.”
“I could eat,” I replied, changing my tune instantly. The least I could do was buy him lunch. “Whose car is this?”
“My ma’s.”
“You told her?”
“No, I asked if I could borrow her rig,” he said, glancing at me. “She didn’t ask why.”
“Oh.”
“Didn’t think you’d be comfortable on the back of my bike,” he said softly.
“Oh,” I repeated. “Um, yeah, thanks.”
“Want a burger?” he asked as he pulled into a local fast-food restaurant.
“No, but I’ll take some fish and chips,” I replied. “With extra lemon.”
“Shit, that sounds better,” he said, turning toward the window. “Could I get two fish and chips, please? Four-piece.” He turned back to me. “Drink?”
“Iced tea, please,” I replied, stuffing my hand into my purse in search of my wallet.
“With two iced teas.”
“And extra lemon,” I said quickly.
“With extra lemon,” he said. “Thanks.”
“You’re so polite.”
“Costs nothin’ to be polite.”
“You should remind Rumi of that.”
“Rumi’s a lost cause,” he replied, his lips twitching as he pulled up to the window. He leaned up to pull his wallet out of his pocket as I held out cash.
“I’ll pay,” I said, flapping the cash up and down.
He handed his bank card through the window without a word.
“At least let me give you gas money or something.”
“Not takin’ your money.”
“You’ve gone out of your way for me twice now.”
He took back his card from the cashier. “Thanks, man.”
“Gray,” I called, waving the cash.
“Put it away so you can hold the food,” he ordered as he reached through the window for our drinks.
“You’re such a dude ,” I grumbled as I stuffed the cash between the seats for his mom to find later.
“I saw that shit,” he shot back as he set the iced teas in the cup holders.
Once we had our food, Gray pulled over to a parking spot in the shade under some trees.
“Thanks for lunch,” I said, handing him his bag of food.
“Stop thanking me.”
“It costs nothing to be polite.” I threw his words back at him.
“Touché.”
“I’m sorry I called you,” I said as I squeezed lemon on my fish. “You were the first person I thought of.”
“Not Myla or Lou?” he asked curiously, watching me out of the corner of his eye.
“I didn’t tell them I had an appointment,” I confessed.
“You think they’d judge you?”
I jolted in my seat at his tone and turned to look at him. “How did you know?”
“At the same clinic a couple weeks ago. Came out lookin’ like shit. Called me to pick you up today, didn’t drive yourself, and came out lookin’ even worse than the first time.”
He was too perceptive. “I don’t think they’d judge me.”
“Then why didn’t you tell them?”
“I didn’t want them to baby me,” I murmured, going back to my food.
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t want to make it a big thing,” I replied, taking a bite. I shook my head. “I’m not broken or upset or whatever. I just wanted to be done with it.”
“I can understand that,” he said quietly.
“I probably should’ve said something,” I muttered around the food in my mouth. “I’ll tell them at some point.”
“You should.”
We ate our food quietly, and I held back a groan as my stomach cramped. Pulling out the ibuprofen in my purse, I poured three out and took them with my iced tea.
“Sore?” he asked, crumpling his wrappers up into a ball.
“Just crampy. They said it would happen.”
Gray threw his door open and reached for my empty containers as I held back a wince. As soon as he’d stepped away from the car, I listed to the side and thumped my head against the cool window. The cramping was perfectly normal. Everything was fine. There was no reason to worry about it.
I’d opted for the in-office procedure instead of the pill because I’d been too afraid that something would go wrong, and I wouldn’t know it. The fear was irrational, and the doctor had assured me that the pill was highly effective and safe, but I’d felt more comfortable having a doctor take care of the procedure. She’d finished in less than ten minutes what would’ve taken up to twenty-four hours if I’d done it at home.
I let out a slow breath, pressing my purse tightly against my stomach.
“You doin’ okay?” Gray asked as he got back inside the car.
“Yeah. Ready to lie down, though.”
“Let’s get you home,” he said gently.
We drove to my house in silence, but it wasn’t awkward. Being around Gray was soothing, if I ignored how attracted to him I still was. There were no pretenses, what you saw was what you got with him, and he never said anything that he didn’t mean.
I straightened in my seat as we pulled onto my street, and my breath caught in my throat when I realized that Lou’s car was parked next to the Tahoe. She shouldn’t have been home for hours still. I held my breath as I frantically searched through my purse for my phone.
“What’s wrong?” Gray asked, slowing the car.
Lou had texted me half an hour before.
The Tahoe’s here. Where are you?