Chapter 3 #3
“Frankie wouldn’t even talk to me when they drove me home last night.”
“Did you talk to your brother?”
“No, I haven’t talked to anyone.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” she said, kicking off her shoes so she could pull her feet onto the couch. “It’ll all blow over.”
“I wasn’t trying to step on anyone’s toes,” I blurted defensively. “I wasn’t even thinking about—”
“Look, from what I understand, Bas and Lou aren’t together. Who knows what’s going on with them? But you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then why do I feel like a pariah?”
“Frankie’s always quick to judgment, especially when it has anything to do with Myla and Lou. I didn’t notice anyone else that was mad about it last night, they were just…talking about it. A lot.”
“I’ve been home twenty-four hours and I already miss my solitary life,” I groaned. “Nobody knew who I was fucking. No one cared what I was doing.”
“Yeah, well, you’ll have to get used to that as long as you’re here. How long before you leave again?”
“No idea. I got fired.”
“Shit.”
“I can find another job, but I’m not sure what I want to do yet.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“I can’t believe that I thought it was a good idea to make out with Bas the day my career imploded and I came home with my tail between my legs. Maybe I should give myself a bad haircut to really put the cherry on top of my shit sundae.”
Nova smiled. “Bas was an interesting choice.”
“You have no idea,” I murmured, the memory of his smile making my heart thump in my chest.
“Oh,” Nova said quietly. “You like him.”
“What’s not to like?” I asked casually, trying to play it off. “Everyone likes Bas.”
“Harp…” Her words trailed off.
“What? Just say it.”
“No judgment, all right?” she asked.
I nodded.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” She paused.
“But be careful if last night was more than just a fun, had-a-few-drinks, kissed-someone thing. Bas is single, but I’m pretty sure he’s been in love with Lou for years.
I don’t know why they haven’t sealed the deal, but I think if it was up to him, they would’ve a long time ago. ”
My stomach lurched in disappointment.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Of course not,” I reassured her, waving my hand airily. “It was just a thing. Not a big deal.”
“I feel like an asshole.”
“Why?”
“Because I said it was none of my business, and I meant it, but now I’m all don’t go there, Harper.”
“No, I appreciate it. You’re more up-to-date on all the dynamics than I am.”
It wasn’t as if I hadn’t already known that Bas and Lou were a thing.
Everyone knew it. But somewhere deep in the back of my mind, I’d started to consider that maybe everyone was blowing it out of proportion.
Gram had given that impression, too. She thought that there was less to Lou and Bas’s relationship than everyone assumed.
But Nova spent time with them. She was around them all the time. If she was saying she thought Bas was in love with Lou, I should listen.
“No, are you ready to go?” Rumi asked as he stomped into the living room. “You took your shoes off.”
“Me and Harp are visiting,” Nova replied, shooing him with his hand. “Go hang out with Leo.”
“He doesn’t want to hang out with me,” Rumi argued. “He handed me this and told me to get the fuck out.”
I giggled.
“Okay then,” Nova said, dropping her feet to the floor.
“How long are you home for, Harp?” Rumi asked as Nova put her shoes back on.
“Not sure yet,” I replied. “I lost my job, so I’ll be here until I find something new.”
“Good,” Rumi said easily, pointing at me. “Find something around here.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Bookstore this week?” Nova asked, rising to her feet. “I can pick you up after work.”
“Sounds good.” I nodded.
“I’ll call you.”
“My phone’s dead,” I said quickly. “Just call my mom’s.”
“Or you could charge it,” Rumi interrupted helpfully.
“Shut it.” I looked back to Nova. “Just call Mom’s.”
“I will.”
“Bye, guys,” I called out as they headed for the door.
Within seconds of them leaving, my mom wandered into the living room.
“How long have you been eavesdropping?” I asked, giving up on the book in my lap. I set it on the table.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” she countered. “I just have really good hearing.”
“Uh-huh.”
When Mom was a kid, she’d lost her sight for years.
The doctors hadn’t been able to say why she couldn’t see, and they hadn’t known if it would ever come back.
By the time she was able to see again, all of her other senses had taken up the slack, and they’d just never stopped.
She could hear me and Gray arguing from across the house with two closed doors between us.
“I’m glad she came over,” Mom said, leaning against the couch. “You should get out and do some shit while you’re home.”
“Good grief, Ma,” I complained. “I’ve been here a day, and I’ve already gone to a party.”
“I just don’t want you to hole yourself up in here.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
“Good. Your dad’s going to offer to take you to the club on Monday so you can pick out a car to borrow for a while until you figure out if you want to buy a new one or whatever.”
“I don’t need—”
“Yes, you do. You’re an adult. You need something to drive. Plus, your grandpa’s already agreed that you could use one of the loaners they keep.”
“Because they love me,” I said with a grin.
“Act surprised when your dad tells you,” she said, straightening. “I just wanted to give you a heads up so you didn’t turn him down after he’s been making calls to make sure he could work it out.”
“I’ll act appropriately surprised and thankful.”
“Spoiled,” she murmured as she walked away.
Throwing the blanket off my lap, I got to my feet and brought the book with me to my room. Mom clearly wasn’t going to let me laze around while I was home, at least not long term, so I needed to be a little less slug-like. First, I needed to unpack all of my stuff and store the suitcases.
I’d deal with my phone on Monday. It was the weekend, so it wasn’t as if I could handle anything now anyway. Everything could wait another couple of days. Then I’d start getting my shit together.
I made it to my room, then fell face first onto the bed.
I could unpack tomorrow.