Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
SUTTON
“ K nock, knock,” a voice sounds from the doorway of my room at the same time a giant dog jumps on my bed.
Looking up from where I’m lying on the bed, I see the start of purple and black hair that belongs to Evan.
“Hades! Get down! Just because I want you doesn’t mean everyone else in the world does,” Evan scolds, giving me an apologetic smile.
“Sorry about him. He’s still learning what personal space means.
I hope it’s okay I came up. I was wondering if you wanted to come down and have a drink with me? ”
“Sure,” I answer with a smile, hoping my nerves aren’t showing as I give Hades the belly rub he’s waiting for.
She gives me a reassuring smile back, seeing right through my mask. “It’ll just be us. Cain is out.”
“Ah yeah. Ink told me they had some sort of club business.” It comes out sounding more like a question because now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t remember exactly what he said. My mind hasn’t stopped playing the conversation we had right before he left.
“Yeah, they always have some random shit to take care of. Sometimes they’re gone longer than others. They always come back, though. I made a cheese board if you’re hungry.”
Right on cue, my stomach growls, reminding me I haven’t eaten since lunch with Ink.
“What’s your poison?” Evan asks as she walks over to her bar cart. “I’m a red wine or rum girl, but I have pretty much anything you can think of since the guys come and go. I like to have what everyone likes to drink on hand.”
“Um… whatever you’re having is good.” The last thing I want to admit to someone I just met and am now staying with is that I’ve never drank a drop of alcohol in my life. Judging by the interior of her house, I can tell she has good tastes so her taste for alcohol can’t be far off, right?
“You sure? I can make whatever.”
“I’m sure,” I answer, popping a piece of cheese in my mouth.
My eyes widen as I watch Evan pour more rum into a glass than I would have, topping it off with a splash of diet coke.
“So you and Ink,” Evan says as she sets the glass down in front of me.
“I don’t really know if there is an Ink and me.” I immediately taste the lie on my tongue.
Evan lets out a laugh. “I’ve heard that one before. I hated Cain from the moment I met him. He just kept showing up everywhere I was. The man was persistent, I’ll give him that.”
She shrugs and takes a sip of her drink. Following her lead, I take the same size sip I would if I was drinking water.
Major mistake.
Holy crap.
My left eye squints as the rum hits my throat. A burning sensation starts at the tip of my tongue and goes straight down the center of my body. I clear my throat, trying to disguise the cough that’s begging to come out.
“Sorry,” Evan says, not sounding sorry at all. “Sometimes I forget not everyone makes their drinks this strong. But if one sip doesn’t make your nipples hard, what’s the point, right?”
I can’t help the laughter that bubbles out of me. “It definitely did its job. My nipples are hard. I feel like I can feel the alcohol moving through my body.”
“It’ll do that. Some more than others. Me and whiskey don’t mix.”
“I wouldn’t know what I don’t mix with. This is the first drink I’ve had.”
Evan pauses with her glass halfway to her mouth as her eyes widen. “Like ever?”
“Yup,” I admit, taking another large sip in hopes the alcohol will help make this not seem as awkward.
“How old are you?” she blurts out before slapping a hand over her mouth. “Fuck, I’m sorry. That was so rude to ask.”
I wave it off. “Don’t worry about it. It’s weird I’m twenty-five and having a drink for the first time.
” An awkward silence has settled in and, in all honesty, I get it.
I barely know her and the last couple of days have been a lot.
She’s witnessed me at my worst. Clearing my throat, I break the silence.
“I never did get to properly thank you for helping me out the other night. I barely remember it, but Ink filled in the gaps, so thank you.”
“Oh my god, you don’t need to thank me for that. We all go through shit. I’m sure it’ll be my turn again and you can return the favor.”
Relief washes over me from the acceptance. Is this what it’s like to have actual friends?
“How old is Ink?” I blurt out.
A knowing smirk takes over Evan’s face. “I don’t know for sure, but if I had to guess I’d say mid-thirties. I know he’s younger than Cain. Why? Something on your mind?” she teases, but I know she wants the details.
I chug the rest of my drink, ignoring the burn as I lean back against the back of the barstool with a sigh. Evan takes the glass out of my hand and is refilling it before I can set it down.
“He drives me insane!” I exclaim. “Half the time, I don’t know whether I want to strangle him or hug him.”
“You’re so fucked.” Evan laughs, clearly enjoying this.
“I’m something. And now he keeps inserting himself into everything. Why is he so freaking nosey? I don’t get all up in his business like that.”
“It’s fucking annoying, isn’t it? I wish I could tell you it gets better the longer you’re together, but that would be a big fat lie. It gets way worse.”
“We’re not together, so I don’t think I’ll have to worry too much about that. Once I get past all of this crap and find a place, I’ll only have to deal with his grumpy butt at work.”
My heart hurts just thinking about that. Only seeing Ink at work sounds incredibly depressing. I’ve seen all of these other sides to him that he doesn’t show at the shop. To have that taken away would hurt.
Evan snorts. “You don’t actually believe that, do you? You might not have had the talk yet, but I know these guys. They’re either all in or all out. And Ink is one hundred percent all in. I would bet an ass tattoo on it.”
A tattoo on your butt? Do people actually do that?
“Are we making a bet on who is right?”
A mischievous smile takes over Evan’s face. “Yes, we are.”
I can’t stop the uncontained laugh that comes out of my mouth and doesn’t stop until tears are rolling down my face and my stomach muscles hurt from clenching so much.
“I can’t believe this is my life now,” I say as I wipe the tears from the corner of my eyes.
“I went from not being able to talk to someone without permission to getting a tattoo on my butt.”
“Buckle up, bitch. You’re about to learn how to live.” Evan holds her glass up and clinks it against mine.
“Cheers to me learning how to live.”