Chapter 23
Oliver
After sending a text to Dean, I slipped out the front door. As I headed toward my car, I looked up at the sky and snorted. Of course it was clear right now, but I was positive that tonight, the clouds would come back around to block my view of the stars.
Settling in the driver’s seat, I looked up again. Remi always said the stars were sparks from . . . whatever that fire-realm was called. It had something to do with Odin, but the name was gibberish to me.
Something caught my eye, drawing me away from the sky.
I blinked a few times, trying to process what was making its way down the stairs—Dean, barefoot, tugging a shirt over his head while trying to hold onto a pair of sneakers.
My gaze lingered on his torso until it was no longer visible, and I found my mouth watering.
Before he made it to the car, I jumped out and came around the front of it. Leaning against the hood, I tried to act casual.
“Hey there, you, big guy, Dean.” I scrunched my nose and gritted my teeth, regretting that I’d ever learned how to speak, if you could call it that.
One corner of his lips curved upward. “Morning to you too.”
“What are you, uh, doing up this early?”
“You’re up this early.” When I didn’t respond, he went on. “I thought I could tag along. If you’re into the idea.”
“Of course,” I said immediately.
He smiled fully this time and moved to my side of the car. I was going to ask him what he was doing, but he opened the door and gestured for me to get in.
So much for taking a step back.
Once I was seated, I nodded at him. I kept my eyes on him the entire time—as he closed the door, walked around to his side, and when he took his place next to me. He pulled his shoes on, and before he could notice that I was staring, I started the engine.
To fill the silence that stretched between us, I turned on Spotify and started tapping my fingers to the music. He didn’t make any other comments as I drove into the main part of the city. I wished he would, because it felt exceedingly awkward to force conversation.
Why did it feel forced? That was the question I couldn’t shake. It was just like the early days, back when Dean snubbed my every attempt to connect with him. Was it him, or was it me?
“So, why do you want to come?” I asked.
“Nothing better to do.”
“I see.”
“You’re acting dull. Everything alright?”
“Dull? I’m sharp enough to slice through a Titan’s nape.”
“Whatever you say.”
Shaking my head, I focused on planning out my day. Cyrus would be expecting me, probably waiting around early so he could tell me about what had happened since I last saw him. Deciding I would meet him first, I hung a right toward the same block where Dean had thought I was getting mugged.
A little laugh escaped me, drawing his attention.
“Remember when Tilian asked if I was Jesus?”
He grunted. “The guy is weird as hell.”
“He’s an odd duck,” I agreed. “Definitely some demons up in that head.”
“Pretty sure he’s the demon.”
“Yikes.” Discreetly, I glanced at him. “Will you protect me from him?”
“Only if you beg.”
I laughed as I looked behind me to parallel park. “Sure thing, man. Should I get on my knees?”
He shifted in his seat. “I think you’d have more luck with Tilian on that front.”
Humming my agreement, I turned off the car and swung open my door. I rushed to the other side, grabbing his just as he started to open it. He narrowed his eyes when I held it for him, but he didn’t comment.
He stayed next to me as we headed toward the coffee shop. His hands were in his pockets, and his shoulders were a little tense. I thought about mentioning it, but I decided to just keep an eye on it.
“Don’t attack him this time,” I said, keeping my voice light.
His eyes found Cyrus across the street, and he chuckled. “You’re going to hold that against me, aren’t you?”
“I have the memory of an elephant.”
When Cyrus noticed us, he watched Dean cautiously. I raised my hand in a wave and started to jog, hoping he would trust me enough not to be concerned.
“Hey,” I greeted when we got close. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into my chest, taking a moment to gauge how tense he seemed. “Having a good morning?”
He pulled back with a shrug. “Less rain this week.”
“That’s always a plus. You didn’t get into any more fights, right?”
Finally, he began to relax. “Nope. Maybe word got around last time.”
He glanced at Dean again, who stepped forward like that was all the invitation he needed. Thrusting his hand out, he waited for Cyrus to take it. I offered him a smile, and even though he rolled his eyes a little, he shook Dean’s hand.
I was about to make the introduction, but Dean spoke first. “I’m Dean. Sorry I came at you last time. I thought you were mugging him.”
Cyrus’ jaw clenched. “Because I’m homeless, you think I go around mugging people?”
Dean laughed, and it seemed to crack some of Cyrus’ hardened exterior. “No, of course not. I just didn’t know Oli had so many friends.”
“Mmhmm. I’ll have you know I used to own a house over in Queen Anne. I’m not some animal people need protection from.”
“I don’t think Oli needs protection from anyone. He’s pretty good at taking care of himself.”
Cyrus nodded. “He’s got angels on his side, I think.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s a cool idea. Better than what Remi likes to say about me being lucky.”
“Maybe that too.”
“I’m the sole decider of my fate, and that’s something nobody can take away from me.” Wanting to move the conversation away from me, I nodded toward the café. “Feeling a coffee today?”
His eyes brightened. “If you’re offering.”
As we headed toward the building, I felt Dean’s gaze on me. I didn’t look at him, too afraid that he would stop studying me if I did. Had I known he would run out of the house to come with me, I might have tried to look more presentable.
“Go ahead and grab a seat,” I said when we were inside. Dean hesitated for a moment before following Cyrus.
“Hey, Mandy,” I said to the woman at the register.
She immediately grinned. “Oli, I didn’t see you come in. Same as usual?”
“And two lattes for my friends, please and thank you.”
“Got it. How are classes?”
We went back and forth until another customer came up, then I people-watched while I waited for my order.
Just as I was about to grab the three drinks, Dean appeared beside me and picked up the coffees.
Like too many other times, I felt speechless.
It wasn’t that sweet of him, yet it felt like the kind of tenderness people wrote love songs about.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
He just smiled before we joined Cyrus by the front window.
“So,” I started once I’d taken my seat, “no fights this week. You’ve got to have an exciting story or two, though.”
Cyrus pursed his lips while he thought about it. “Well, I saved a lady’s dog yesterday.”
“Do tell.”
“She dropped the leash and that thing tried to run into traffic. I grabbed it before it hit the curb. She gave me five bucks and said I was a superhero. I wasn’t going to argue.”
“I’ll bet you earned yourself some good karma.”
He held up his cup. “That’s what I call this.”
I pulled out my wallet and took out more than I usually gave him. “Well, I got my annual bonus at work, so we can call that karma too.”
His eyes widened when I passed the money to him. “You don’t have to . . .”
“Just promise me you’ll keep yourself fed this week, alright? And there’s a witness here to hold you to it this time.”
“I will.”
After taking it, he turned his face toward the window. In the reflection, I saw the way his brow knitted.
Looking at Dean, I chewed on my lip for a moment while I tried to decide what was in his expression. “I budgeted for the extra I’m giving everyone this week.”
“I’m not worried about it,” he replied.
“Maybe I wanted you to scold me for it.”
He chuckled around his cup as he took a drink. When he lowered it, there was a slight frown on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Tell me how you stay so positive.”
“Why shouldn’t I be?”
“It’s not that you shouldn’t. I guess I just tend to be more cynical. I look around at the world and see terrible things happening in every direction. In my experience, people are just not that great. Except for you.”
“Maybe that’s because you choose to look for the negative side of things. There’s always a downside to life, but that doesn’t mean we have to let it thrive.”
“What do you mean?”
Tapping my finger on the side of my cup, I considered how to respond without coming off as some Socrates fanboy.
“Sometimes, we manifest our reality. I know that sounds ridiculous, and I’m not saying that it’s all a construct of our minds.
It’s just that we get to choose how we respond to what happens, and if we continuously let negativity dwell inside of our minds, we put out more of it, then the world only gets darker. ”
“Let me guess. There are people who have it worse, so we should just be grateful.”
“I know it’s a hackneyed idea, but yeah. It doesn’t take away from our own struggles to admit that, and I think that if we take just a few moments out of every day to choose to acknowledge what’s going right, our lives can change.”
“Has yours changed?”
“It’s hard to know. I like to think that if I’d responded to the bad things in my life with negativity, it would have gotten a lot worse. What does that do for anyone?”
“I can’t stand you,” he grumbled.
It was impossible not to laugh. “I thought we were past that stage of our relationship.”
“Maybe I’m jealous of your outlook on life.”
“There’s no reason to be jealous when you could just adopt the same one.”
He was silent, which made me run back what I’d said.
“Did that make it worse?” I asked.
“No, I just think that you’re right, and I didn’t want to admit it.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because if I didn’t, you might think I actually can’t stand you. And that would suck.”
“Why?”
“It just would.”
“Okay,” I whispered, not entirely trusting my voice.
The way he kept his eyes on me made my skin tingle. It wasn’t just that he was studying me. This time, it seemed like he wanted to see something more, as if he thought there was something hiding underneath. If he wanted to know anything about me, all he had to do was ask and I would spill it all.
I found myself hoping that he would. It certainly didn’t help reinforce my plan to halt what was happening in my chest when I was around him.
Suddenly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. My brow pulled tight as I watched him flip it open.
“Here,” he said, holding out some bills.
“What’s this?”
“Tips.”
“I don’t—”
Without giving me a chance to refuse, he reached over and stuffed them into the front pocket of my jeans.
“Maybe I need some good karma too,” he explained.
“I don’t think you get good karma if you do something just to get it.”
He grunted. “These people need it more than I do.” I saw his throat bob, and he looked away for a second before returning his gaze to me.
“I grew up missing meals and sometimes living without heat until payday, but despite what my family went through, we always had a home. I don’t want to become one of those people who hoards every penny as if it makes up for the years I didn’t have any, you know? ”
Dipping my head, I smiled. “Yeah, I know.”
“Ah, damn,” Cyrus said. “Rain is coming.”
I looked at the clouds that had begun to block the blue sky. Instead of letting it get me down, I turned to Dean.
Maybe the stars didn’t only shine in the sky. His dark eyes were twinkling with a bit of their own starlight as he stared back at me.
Or I was going absolutely freaking mad.
Oh well. I’d earned it, if you asked me.