Chapter 3
DANI
“Okay, who was that?” Jed asked me the second I got back down to his end of the bar… and he hasn’t stopped asking since.
Thankfully, we had a rush, and I could avoid the question while we filled food and drink orders.
But things are quieting down now, and there my roommate goes again, asking away.
“You know I’m not a quitting man, Dani Girl. You better tell me who that hunk of handsome was.”
“Hey.” I frown at him. “You have a boyfriend.”
“And if he wasn’t studying for an exam right now, I’d be calling his fine ass down here so we could drool over that man together. My boy knows fine when he sees it. Why do you think he’s with me?” Jed flicks a hand down his tall body, and I can’t help snorting with laughter.
I can see why Tobin fell in love with him.
He’s about as tall as Tyrell, although I doubt he’s sporting the same chiseled muscles under that shirt of his.
He may be bulky, but it’s soft bulk. Tyrell, on the other hand…
hmmmm. If he’s anything like he was in high school—and I can only imagine he’s gotten more cut with age—then he’ll be like 8 percent body fat, meaning he’s got an eight-pack to drool over, and the rest…
well, I can imagine the girls still flock around him just like they used to.
They would have flocked around Atlas too, but they knew better than to look at my man.
My stomach pinches into a tight knot. Atlas is with me more than usual tonight, and I’m holding Tyrell responsible.
“So…” Jed lightly flicks my arm with the back of his hand.
“Stop,” I grumble, then force a smile. “What can I get you tonight, sir?”
A man steps up to the bar, looking over his shoulder and holding up two fingers before nodding, then turning back to me. “Gimme two Coors Lights and a Coke, thanks.”
Jed moves to pour the Coke while I grab two bottles of Coors from the fridge. As soon as the payment has gone through and the man is walking away, Jed’s back by my side.
“Tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me.”
“Stop.” I laugh as he bats his eyelashes at me, then turn and start walking away. “Ouch!” I let out a little squawk when he gets me on the ass with a flick of that dish towel he always has draped over his shoulders. “Boy!” I spin with a growl. “You are gonna pay for that.”
He lets out his standard giggle—it’s this high-pitched musical sound that does not match his six-foot, three-inch massive frame, but it makes me laugh every single time.
Sometimes, Jed is a twelve-year-old boy hiding inside a twenty-five-year-old man’s body.
Seriously.
“Just tell me and I’ll stop harassing you.”
Resting my hands on my hips, I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m filing a formal complaint with Tobin. You know he’s gonna side with me.”
“Ahhh—bullshit. He’s gonna want deets and every single one of them. You better tell me somethin’ so I can deliver for my man.”
I roll my eyes. “I never should have moved in with you guys.”
“Oh, girl, please. You love living with us.” He waves a hand through the air. “Now spill your guts or I’m flicking you again.”
“You better not.” I point at him, checking the bar for any new patrons.
Dammit. Everyone seems perfectly fine.
Willing the rush of people back, I inch toward my roommate and finally settle beside him.
“Oh, Dani Girl, your Jed, your Jed is calling.” He starts singing some old-time tune from like World War II or something.
I think it’s supposed to be “Danny Boy” and something about pipes, but he’s adapted the lyrics for me. He thinks it’s hilarious, and dammit, he’s just gonna keep on singing.
“Okay, fine!” I raise my hands in defeat. “His name’s Tyrell, and I knew him in high school.” My shoulders sag. “He was Atlas’s best friend.”
Jed soaks that in for a second, then lets out a gentle “Oh.”
“Right?” I raise my eyebrows while he nods… and then proves he doesn’t get it.
“He’s hot.”
Rolling my eyes again, I lurch forward the second someone approaches the bar. I try to take my time filling her order, but Jed helps me out, and we’re soon back to being able to chat again.
“I say you go for it.”
“What?” I balk. “Are you crazy? I’m not dating my dead boyfriend’s best friend. That’s just weird.”
“Why? You think Atlas would have a problem with it?”
“If he was alive, he sure would!”
Jed’s expression softens, his smile kind when he rests his huge hand on my petite shoulder. “But he’s not… and you’re trying to move on. Why not do that with a man Atlas obviously loved? You said they were besties, right?”
I cringe, already shaking my head. “They grew up together. They were like brothers. It… there’s no way… I…” Shaking my head some more, I give him an emphatic look. “It’s never gonna happen. I don’t even know if I want to see him again.”
“Why not? You two looked like you were having a great catch-up.” Jed lifts his chin toward the bar where I’d smiled up at Tyrell, nostalgia swamping me.
“Yeah, I mean…” I rub my forehead. “It was nice to see him again, but it just brings it all back, you know?”
Jed pauses for a second, then rests his elbow on the bar so he can bend down and look me in the eye. “I get it. Probably hurts, right?”
I nod, my throat swelling.
“But there must have been good times too. Maybe it’s worth remembering those, you know?”
“Excuse me?” A woman with a black bob cut raises her hand. “Can I get a drink, please?”
“Sure thing.” Jed pulls the towel off his shoulder, looking like an old-timey bartender as he wipes down the counter and memorizes the woman’s order.
I stay where I am, watching him fulfill it and trying to dodge a million different memories. All those laughs we had in high school. All those good times we shared. It was awesome… until it wasn’t.
Until Tyrell moved away and Atlas just got worse and worse.
I don’t blame Tyrell. He had to follow his path.
I just wish I could have been strong enough to keep Atlas on track by myself.
But I wasn’t.
And then I got all shitty and stormed away from him.
Shit, I’ll regret that night forever.
“I get that you don’t want to be romantic with the guy, even though I think you’re totally missing out there.” Jed makes an appreciative sound as he leans back against the counter. “But what about just hanging with him for old times’ sake?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, then grip the counter in front of me, needing it to help me stay upright.
“Okay.” Jed nods. “Well, I’m gonna keep bugging you about this, because you told us you wanted to move on, find yourself a guy. Maybe Tyrell can be your in-betweener, you know? Nothing romantic, just a friend to chill with. Although, damn, girl.” He bulges his eyes at me. “That boy be fine.”
I let out a soft laugh, because Jed’s right. Tyrell Jackson is one hot specimen. “Yeah, I get it. I’m sorry he’s not gay. At least I don’t think he is.”
“He’s not.” Jed pouts. “I can sense these things.”
“Okay.” I grin up at him.
“And besides, I’m in love with Tobin. I might appreciate the view in this place sometimes, but my heart belongs to that boy forever.”
My smile grows. “I know. You two are perfect for each other.”
His eyes start to sparkle the way they always do when Tobin comes up in conversation.
They got together about eighteen months ago, within weeks of Tobin starting at Nolan U.
When my old neighbor found out I was wanting a change of scenery, he invited me to come live with him and Jed…
and I couldn’t think of a good reason to say no.
The day I arrived, they introduced me to their other roommate, Nix, and the three of them then peppered me about how I was going to make the most out of my time in Nolan.
I made the mistake of telling them everything and confessing that this was my big attempt to move on, find love again, start living the life of a woman in her early twenties.
Well, I’ve been here for over three months now, and no matter how many times they’ve tried to push me out the door, I’ve failed to take the big step.
“You know, you could maybe have coffee with him, get used to hanging out with a straight guy again, and that will give you the push you need to ask someone else out… or say yes when some guy asks you out.” Jed catches my eye, his dark eyebrows rising. “You feel me? It’s a good plan, right?”
“Actually.” I reach for my back pocket and pull out the napkin. “I got someone’s number tonight. All by myself, before I even noticed Tyrell.”
“You did?” Jed perks up. “Who? Is he still here?”
I scan the sports bar, my eyes eventually landing on Sutton. He’s near the dartboard, laughing with a couple of other guys. “Over there.” I point. “The guy with the curly hair. Sandy brown.”
“Hmmm.” Jed assesses him with narrowed eyes. “Not bad for a white boy.”
“Oh stop.” I flick his arm with the backs of my fingers. “He’s cute. And he’s got a great smile.”
“Okay, okay.” Jed nods.
“Do you know him?”
“I’ve seen him around.”
“Do you think he’s safe enough to go out with?”
Jed eyes him up for a minute before nodding. “Yeah. I think you’re good. Just choose somewhere public for your first date, and make sure you’ve got some pepper spray.”
“Seriously?”
“You know Tobin’s gonna say the same thing.” He nudges me with his elbow. “We’ll help you find some good spots.”
Nerves rush through me at the thought of actually going through with this thing. Do I honestly want to go out with some guy I met at a bar?
How else are you planning on meeting them?
Shit, why is putting myself out there so damn hard?
“Still think it’s a damn shame you won’t consider the Black god, but if you’ve made up your mind about that, then the skinny white boy is probably a safe enough choice.”
My eyebrows dip into a V. “He’s not that skinny.”
“Compared to Shango he is.”
I can’t help a soft snicker. Jed comparing Tyrell to the Yoruba deity of strength, lightning, and thunder is… well, from a physical point of view, it’s completely appropriate.
Atlas always used to joke that Tyrell Jackson was like a Black Jack Reacher.
He was Atlas’s bodyguard. His wingman… his protector.
When he first introduced me to the shy fourteen-year-old, he called him Black Jack. Even then Tyrell was taller than everybody else in the class. He was strong and powerful, yet quiet and calm.
There was a shy sweetness to him that countered Atlas’s sometimes reckless side.
They were the perfect pair, always laughing and joking together.
Atlas took the lead, and Black Jack would be right behind him, following in his wake, scanning for dangers on all sides.
Looking up from the bar, I dart my eyes across the room, seeking him out, but I can’t see him anywhere.
He must have left already, quietly slipped out the door when I wasn’t looking.
I wonder where he is right now.
I wonder where he lives.
I wonder if he’s happy, the way I so desperately want to be.