Chapter 26 Davis
DAVIS
“There she is!” Gavin called, abruptly standing from the couch.
I followed his trajectory with my eyes and turned to see Rae walking down the stairs, fully dressed and carrying her overnight bag.
I knew she would need to leave today, but still, seeing that she was packed and ready to leave so early made my heart twist uncomfortably.
I liked her in my space. I liked her smell, and that the dumb creamer I knew she liked was now in my fridge.
I even liked the way she hummed when she watched me work, or when she saw something that excited her.
Being around her, having her here, was like plucking one of the stars from the midnight sky and asking it to be happy with you on earth, in your home, and then being shocked when it said yes.
Clearing my thoughts, I moved to get in front of my idiot friend and greeted Rae with a kiss.
“Hey.”
She gave me a tight smile in return. “Hey.”
Gripping her hand, I lead her into the kitchen and then let her go to make her a cup of coffee. The longer I was able to keep her here, the better.
“Gavin, this is Rae. Rae, Gavin.”
I half turned, not seeing Rae’s reaction to having a stranger in the house right when she woke up, but her response was sweet enough. “Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, you too. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Gavin gave me an acerbic look while shaking her hand.
“You’re what to Davis?” the asshole asked. Fucker knew we hadn’t talked about labels yet.
I sipped my coffee, waiting for hers to brew.
“Fuck buddy, I think.”
I spit my coffee out, sputtering the remnants down my shirt.
“What?” I tugged the soaked fabric away from my chest, feeling a small burn.
She shrugged and moved toward the door. “That’s what we are, right?”
No, that’s not what we were.
I didn’t hold my fuck buddies in the bath while the rain poured outside. I didn’t read to them in front of the fire, and sure as fuck didn’t open up to them about my family.
But had I really opened up to her? She had asked last night about my family, but what I had told her was more than I’d told anyone, save for her parents.
It wasn’t like I was eager to scare her off—and telling her about my past would do just that.
She was pulling on her boots when I realized I hadn’t responded to her comment out loud.
I gave Gavin a look that told him to fuck off and then responded to her.
“Not exactly. Uh, are you already headed back?” Setting my mug down and abandoning the full cup that was supposed to be hers, I followed her to the door. Why did I have the impression that she was pissed at me?
“It was nice to meet you, Gavin!” Rae called, pushing through the screen.
I was hot on her heels, grabbing for her door as she swung it open.
“Hey, are we okay?”
Her gaze wouldn’t meet mine; her dark lashes fanned the tops of her cheeks as she inhaled a sharp breath then let it out.
Finally, those blue eyes made their way up my torso.
In the early morning light, the hint of pink still in the sky—it made her look like something out of a fairytale.
Dark, silky hair, pale complexion and those bold eyes, it was a sight I wanted every day for the rest of my life.
“Why wouldn’t we be?” she finally replied, giving out a small laugh.
I may not know her super well, but I knew her well enough to know that she was bullshitting me.
“I’m sorry about Gavin just showing up, sometimes he does that, but I figured maybe it was a good thing. He’s the only friend I have besides your parents, and well…I wanted you to meet him.”
From how tender and thoughtful Rae had been the past two days, I assumed she’d soften at that confession, but her lips turned down into another firm line.
“I liked meeting him.”
“Then what’s wrong?” I tugged a rogue piece of hair and tucked it behind her ear. My heart pinched tight, worried that she’d suddenly pull away from me. Leave me.
She shook her head slightly while ducking her chin to her chest. “Nothing, I just—I need to get home.”
I paused, letting her finish, but she didn’t say anything more. I couldn’t find my voice, so I stepped away from her car and let her get in.
“I guess I’ll see you when I see you.” Please kiss me. Tell me you’ll call me when you get back. Don’t break what we just put together.
“K…” She opened her car door, my throat constricted painfully tight when she slammed it shut. I stood, battling the emotion clogging my chest, and watched as she reversed and drove off. With every stride she put between us, I felt the space pull taut, becoming a lesson and a crude warning.
Hands pinned to my hips, I watched for far longer than I should have then finally turned around and walked inside. I had no idea why she pulled away, but it felt typical. Most people in my life usually did.
Davis: Sorry again about the other day. I tried to call you a few times, everything okay?
Rae: I saw that, sorry. I’ve been crazy busy helping Nora with the details of her new place. I’ll call you tonight.
Davis: Never heard from you last night…can I see you this weekend?
Rae: Can’t. Helping Nora pack. Raincheck
Davis: Am I missing something? I thought we were…
Rae: We were what?
Davis: Never mind. Just call me when you’re free.
Davis: You’re not delivering anymore, or is it just that you don’t want to deliver to me?
Rae: I gave the job to a kid who just graduated from high school, he needs the tips.
Davis: Right.
Davis: I feel like an idiot even asking, but you wouldn’t want to come up this weekend, would you? I miss you.
Rae: I want to…I do. I just…I can’t do this right now, Davis. I’m sorry. Please know that I wanted to, desperately, but I have too much going on with my parents and the diner right now. I need to focus on them.
Davis: You just broke up with me via text. Never thought of you as a coward, but I guess people surprise me all the damn time. Have a nice life, Rae.
The bell over the entrance clanged cheerily as I sat with my back to the door so I didn’t have to see what sorry soul was wandering in.
I didn’t like being in here. I didn’t like being around people, not for any specific reason other than they pissed me off.
Always talking, being loud, coughing and sneezing. Just fucking noisy.
But I found myself wandering in here every day for the past two weeks, plopping down and ordering an obscene amount of food, only to have it all boxed up and then dropped off with Saul, one of the homeless guys that held a cardboard sign down on Maple Street.
He had the balls to post up in one of the nicest neighborhoods in all of Macon.
Unfortunately, he’d likely be better off going over to Salmon and Fir—they’re poor, but generous.
Pricks with money clogged the whole damn world up, but I was one of those pricks, so I did what I could to give back.
Which was why I didn’t want Roger or Millie to suffer just because I wasn’t putting any more delivery orders in.
I hadn’t put one in since Rae explained that some new kid now had the job.
It wasn’t that I stopped ordering because she’d stopped doing it.
I decided to come in person just to piss her off.
To rattle her, I guess, even though it was more of a punishment to me on the rare occasion that I did see her.
Sometimes, I’d come in, but she wouldn’t be here.
On those days, I ended up walking around town, down by the coffee shop, and eventually into Rae’s neighborhood.
I wasn’t stalking her…just stretching my legs.
“Oh!” I heard someone gasp to my left. I already knew it was Rae without looking.
Sure enough, she had pushed through the kitchen doors, holding a plastic tub between her fingers.
I didn’t even bother saying anything to her.
This was a part of the new dance we did with one another.
She’d unexpectedly see me and then scurry away, like her ass was on fire.
I must have done a number on her, fucked her in the head or something, because she couldn’t even talk to me.
Each time I heard her gasp, or saw the way she blushed when she saw me, made the stone in my chest rattle against my bones. Reminding me that I tried to make it beat, and I fucked it up.
I was a lost cause.
“Can I get you something? We need to clear the table,” Carl grumbled from the other side of me, breaking the odd silence between Rae and I.
Turning, I surveyed the older man, trying to understand his shitty attitude toward me.
What I’d done to him, I had no fucking clue, but just like the rest of Macon—he hated me. I just couldn’t figure out why.
Reaching for my wallet, I pulled out a wad of cash, tossed it on the table and barked back, “Get me a few boxes and I’ll go.”
He grunted but moved to the kitchen. Three agonizing minutes later, Rae came out holding two boxes and headed straight for me, making my chest grow tense.
“Here you go.” She gently put the boxes on the table in front of me then stepped back.
“Um…” Tucking a few pieces of hair behind her ear, she hesitated.
I waited.
“Um, I know why you’re coming in every day…and I feel bad about that, seeing as you’re trying to take care of my parents financially, but I know you hate it. So, I just wanted to remind you that you can place orders online and still have them delivered.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. I needed to go, get the fuck away from her before I did something stupid, like drag her to my truck and kiss her. Just to piss her off. Or to get the truth from her lips. I knew she was hiding something; I just couldn’t figure out what.
“Whatever you say, Rae.”
“You should know…” She paused, her lip wobbling just the smallest bit. “I’m not the one who decided to hire Todd.”
I watched her toy with the edge of her apron, chewing on her luscious lip. I thought of how they’d wrapped around my cock when she was in the hen house. I thought of how she kissed the top of my dogs’ heads, and how easily those lips were always spread in a smile while she was with me that weekend.
“Right…just like you didn’t just decide that we weren’t a thing anymore, out of the blue?”
Suddenly she lifted her head and snapped. “Are you saying I did it on purpose?”
“Don’t treat me, or this”—I waved my hand between us—“like we’re idiots, Rae. It’s exhausting.” I angled closer, which took us almost to the far wall.
Her blue eyes darkened as they tipped up to meet mine. Her pink lips parted; her throat bobbed as she straightened her spine.
“We were just a weekend fling, nothing serious. Nothing to get upset over…no reason to have an attitude or get offended.”
I stepped back. The pull to touch her was too strong.
“If that were true then why are you worried about the deliveries?” Reaching out, I skimmed her cheek with my knuckle. “And why are you barely holding back tears right now?”
She wet her lips, her eyes searching mine frantically. I knew I had her. She couldn’t answer without admitting that she had deeper feelings for me.
“For the record, it was never casual to me. It meant something. I wanted to build on that weekend. I—”
“What are you doing?” Carl’s gruff voice broke me out of my thoughts.
Keeping my eyes on her, I stepped back, putting distance between us.
“Just on my way out.”
“Good. Maybe it would be best if you didn’t come back.” Angry gray eyes stormed under thick eyebrows, glaring at me. Behind the human wall known as Carl was an entire restaurant full of people who were silently watching our exchange.
“Carl, he’s fine. We were just talking.” Rae snapped at him, pushing past us both and heading behind the counter. “And you know you can’t kick him out, you don’t have the right.”
She focused on me, her hands on a few plastic menus. “You should go though, Davis. I have to get back.”
I gave her one last look before turning and pushing through the glass door.