Balconies and Bombs
Maisie
I stayed put for barely a minute before drifting out to the balcony in search of fresher air. As the breeze rustled the tendrils of my hair, I stood still, gazing out over the water while my thoughts churned a mile a minute.
Back in the beginning, Griff had given me two main reasons for working at the shop. Reason one. He was living in a dump. Reason two. He was hurting for cash.
At the time, I hadn't quite believed either of those things.
But now? Oh, yeah. I was believing, alright.
It was a relief to learn he hadn't been lying. And if I were being totally honest, it made me feel just a little better about myself.
When I'd first spotted him at the ferry dock, he'd seemed so far out of my league that I couldn't even picture us in the same orbit, much less together.
Now, I was seeing all sorts of things.
Sure, he was still a mystery to be solved, but maybe he was coming off hard times of his own. Hey, it happens to the best of us, right?
My thoughts were still churning when I heard his voice, low but perfectly clear from somewhere below. "What are you doing here?"
The second voice – Ryder, obviously – replied with a laugh. "Not just me."
Griff's reply came out clipped. "What?"
With a grin in his voice, Ryder said, "Unless you've stolen a second bike, you've got company."
Right. Both of our bikes were parked outside, near the stairs. We'd come here straight from work – well, after I'd spilled my financial guts, that is.
I glanced toward the interior of Griff's apartment. Should I go back inside? I didn't want to eavesdrop. But I didn't want to linger in that stench either. Still unsure, I leaned over the railing and looked around.
I couldn't see them, but I could still hear their voices. The way things sounded, they were standing near the bikes.
I was still debating what to do when Griff replied, "Yeah, well you're not meeting her, so don't ask."
"Why not?" Ryder gave a low chuckle. "Don't tell me she's naked."
At the thought, I felt a slow blush creep up my neck. I was crazy about Griff. Really, I was. But it would take a lot of liquor and lust to make me get naked in this place.
Lust, I had plenty. But liquor? There wasn't enough in the world for that .
Outside, Griff replied, "Oh, fuck off."
I couldn't help but smile. He sounded annoyed and just a little protective. He was sweet that way, even if he was far too paranoid when it came to the shop.
Ryder laughed like it was no big deal. "Why are you in a mood? You should be happy."
"And why's that?"
"Because I know you didn't come home last night."
My breath caught. Home? Meaning here?
Griff asked, "What home?"
I nodded. Yeah, good question.
"This home," Ryder said. "Except last night, you bunked somewhere else."
No. That couldn't be right.
Could it?
When Griff replied, his voice was tight. "And you know this how?"
"Because I was here,"
"What?" Griff sounded more annoyed than ever. "When?"
"The whole night."
My stomach lurched. Oh, my God. Seriously?
Somewhere below, Griff said, "You're joking."
Ryder chuckled. "I wish."
"You and me both." Griff's voice sharpened. "All fucking night? Why?"
"Because I figured you'd show eventually." Ryder cleared his throat. "And, uh…I might've had too much whiskey. Your bed sucks, by the way."
"You're shitting me."
Ryder snorted. "So, you like the bed?"
"Forget the bed," Griff said. "You crashed here of all places?" He didn't sound happy – even less so when he asked, "How'd you get in?"
"Your lock's cheap and old." Ryder said. "And hey, you know me ."
Forget the lock . I was still reeling from that first bombshell. Griff didn't come home last night.
At all.
Was that true?
If so, why hadn't he mentioned it?
I didn't mean to Ryder.
I meant to me.
And down below, Griff wasn't denying anything.
Yesterday, he hadn't said a single word about planning to spend the night somewhere else. So of course, I had naturally assumed that he'd be sleeping at home.
Apparently, I'd assumed wrong.
So, where had he spent the night?
Surely not…?
My chest tightened as I recalled Sierra's weird overture – the smile, the touch, the implication. And Griff – he hadn't shut her down right away.
There'd been that godawful moment in the shop when she'd been gripping onto him, and he'd just stood there, like he wasn't sure whether to push her off or not.
Sure, he hadn't looked thrilled, and yes, it's not like he'd pulled her closer. So that was good.
But now I was questioning everything. When she'd latched onto him, was he truly repulsed? Or just playing it cool because I was there?
I swallowed hard as I recalled that yesterday, he'd been in such a hurry to leave after the workday was done. No chatting. No laughing. And certainly no kissing.
Had he been saving his kisses for her?
And just like that, an unwanted image slithered across my brain. In my mind's eye, I saw Griff and Sierra getting busy at some cute little cottage while Devon did God-knows-what.
But those thoughts were crazy.
Right?
Just because Griff had slept somewhere else, that didn't mean he'd slept with Sierra. The island was full of hotels. And this place – his apartment – it was a stinking nightmare, literally.
Maybe he'd been driven out by the stench?
The theory wasn't that far-fetched. Even if he was short on cash, he must have at least one credit card, right? Maybe that's what he'd used.
Somewhere outside, they were still talking. "Oh, come on," Ryder was saying. "Lemme go up. I just wanna say hi."
"Fuck."
Ryder paused. "So it's really a problem?"
Griff hesitated for way too long, making me wonder if there was more to this story. He wasn't ashamed of me, was he?
I mean, I wasn't flashy like Sierra, or a knockout like Tessa, but I was hardly chopped liver – well, if Franny was to be believed.
Finally, Griff said, "Fine. If you wanna meet her, go ahead." He sounded disgruntled, like it was far too soon for me to start meeting his friends.
It made me feel funny, like I wasn't quite ready for prime time.
But then, I rolled my eyes. Seriously, Maisie, get a grip, will ya?
I never had the chance – because his next words really sent me reeling. "But I swear to God, if you say anything about me not coming home last night, I'm gonna toss you off the balcony." His voice dropped. "And I mean head-first."
What? I staggered back as the threat – along with everything it implied – hit hard and fast. Not only had Griff been gone last night, he was deliberately keeping it from me.
This meant…what exactly?
Or maybe I knew what it meant. And I just didn't want to believe it.