7. Chokehold
Chapter 7
Chokehold
N o one needs to know, but today is my birthday. And the only thing I want for my birthday is to pick up some nachos on the way home, watch the Stallions play baseball with a beer in my hand, and pass out during the post-game show. After work, I head to my truck to do just that, but Tyler calls.
“Nick. Callum and I request your presence for dinner. Tonight at seven. We’ll pick you up from your apartment at six forty-five.” He hangs up before I can ask any questions.
If Tyler is saying as little as possible, it’s because he’s trying to keep from spilling whatever secret he’s keeping. I guess my plans for the night are canceled; although spending my birthday with these guys will be an improvement.
I head home, shower, and wait for them in front of Sam’s—I mean, my apartment. For now, anyway. Because my share of rent equals what I’d pay if I had my own place, I probably won’t stay here long.
When Callum’s truck pulls up, the back window rolls down and Tyler tells me to get in the front. He shakes my shoulders from behind me after I climb in, wishing me a Happy Birthday.
“Thanks. I’ll be honest, I was hoping none of you remembered.”
“We spent three years with you in college. Of course, we remember. Time has passed, but it hasn’t erased our memory,” Callum answers, always the wise one.
“So, where are you taking me?” I ask.
“Guess,” Tyler instructs, but I don’t have time to guess before he blurts out the answer. “That Mexican food place we always go to on our birthdays. It’s tradition.”
A grin spreads over my face, then my phone rings.
“Hi, Mom,” I say, holding the phone up to my ear.
“Happy Birthday to you,” she sings. It’s the third time I’ve heard the song from her today, but I don’t mind, although her voice carries to the guys. I sit awkwardly listening until she’s finished while Callum and Tyler snicker.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Are you still coming this weekend so I can make your birthday dinner for you?”
“Yes, for the thousandth time,” I answer, teasingly.
“I’m sorry, I just miss you. This is the first time in two years that I haven’t had you home for your birthday.”
“I know, Mom. I miss you too.” And this is why I worry about her being alone. Why I want her to find someone. Even if it’s just a friend.
Then I hear a male voice in the background. “Elaine,” it said—Mom’s name.
“Who is that?”
“Oh, no one. It was just the TV.” My eyes narrow. I figured it was Uncle Jonah, who does maintenance around the house for Mom sometimes. But she wouldn’t lie if it were him.
“You know I wouldn’t care if you were seeing anyone,” I say gently. It’s a topic we’ve discussed so many times it’s reached pestering status. I don’t want Mom to be lonely, especially since I moved away again, and I wouldn’t worry so much if I knew she’d finally lowered her guard and let someone in. Dad really did a number on her.
“I know but I promise it was just the TV.”
“Okay, I believe you.” Except I don’t.
“Hi, Mom!” Tyler calls from the back seat. I put her on speaker and she asks Callum how he’s doing, and Tyler if he’s behaving.
“Well, I won’t keep you, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Again.” She laughs.
I say goodbye and hang up just as we arrive at the restaurant. We eat, then a sombrero gets placed on my head and my nose is covered with whipped cream while they sing to me. When we get back to the apartment, I expect them to drop me off at the sidewalk, but Callum parks in a Visitor’s spot and turns his truck off.
“Are you coming up?” I love these guys, but I was kind of looking forward to turning my TV on and falling asleep.
“Yeah, we’ll come up, maybe watch a movie or something,” Tyler says.
He and Callum have been acting weird all night. First, the weird phone call, the impromptu dinner, and insisting on driving me. Then, they didn’t stay off their phones for the entire meal, which isn’t exactly unusual, but they kept stealing glances, like maybe they were texting each other about me. And now they’ve invited themselves up to the apartment for a movie?
“Okay, what’s going on?” I ask.
“Nothing. We just missed you, man,” Callum answers.
“Yeah, we’ve got some separation issues,” Tyler adds. And I might have believed that explanation, except I’ve been back in town for two weeks and this is only the second time I’ve seen them.
I narrow my eyes before deciding to let it go and continue waiting for the shoe to drop. It does as soon as we open the door to the apartment and a cacophony rings out, “Surprise!”
“Nick. Happy Birthday, man.” Sam walks up, arm wrapped around a miserable-looking Cori. “Were you surprised?”
“Yep. You got me.”
“Good. Not that you deserve it, but I figured a birthday party would be the best way to ring in your big return.” His glare is piercing, leaving me confused if he’s mad I left in the first place or that I returned at all. “You’ve met Cori, but this is her friend Hailey. I know she looks like a bitch, but she’s- no, actually she’s just a bitch.” He gestures to a dark-haired woman, a scowl on her face.
Cori whips her head towards his and pulls away from his embrace. “What is wrong with you tonight?”
“What? No one can take a joke? I thought that’s what we did, Hailey. We poke fun at each other.”
Hailey crosses her arms and pokes her hip out. “It’s fine, Cori, he’s right, that’s just the dynamics of our relationship. He doesn’t pretend to like me, and I don’t pretend to like him.”
I reach out my hand to her. “I’m Nick, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry for this dick,” I say, jerking my head towards Sam.
She shakes my hand but doesn’t smile or respond.
“Oh, sure. Everyone team up against the guy who threw this party for everyone. And let you come, I might add,” he says, widening his eyes at Hailey. Someone from the kitchen calls out Sam’s name and he goes to see what they need, leaving me alone with the two most guarded women in this apartment. Possibly this town. They both glance around the room, probably looking for a reason to walk away.
“So, how long do you think I’ll have to stay out here and socialize?” I ask, my attempt to break the freezing ice.
“It’s your party, these are your friends. If we have to be here, so do you,” Cori deadpans.
I smirk. “Are you going to guard the door or something?”
“If I have to.” She pins me with that same unreadable expression from the other night. If I’m not mistaken, her tight lips hold back a smile as if I’m not worthy of one just yet.
I meet Hailey’s gaze when I feel her studying my face. She returns my grin but an old teammate approaches, pulling me into conversation before I can make one with her. As the two women fade into the crowd, I hear a muffled voice say, “He’s cute. Why can’t you date him instead of Sam?”
* * *
H ailey and I take a few steps away when Nick gets distracted. “He’s cute. Why can’t you date him instead of Sam?” she asks.
“Can we not do this? Can you just get my mind off of it all, please? There’s too much going on tonight-” I’m interrupted by Tyler and Callum approaching, and Callum asks if Hailey is doing well.
Tyler, on the other hand, looks her up and down and says, “Fine as always, Ms. Weldon.” Hailey’s glare of steel doesn’t crack so he turns to me. “I saw Sage walking around. I keep meaning to ask, is she seeing anyone?”
“Yeah, she just started dating some guy and is apparently moving in with him.”
“Damn, too late again.” He looks at Hailey, seemingly considering something. “What about you, H? You seeing anyone?” He flashes a comical smolder her way.
Hailey’s arms are crossed and her expression is deadly. Callum grabs Tyler’s arm, dragging him off before she pounces. Callum and Hailey have hit it off. Not romantically, but they have a lot of interests in common and always find something to talk about. It doesn’t hurt that Callum is a sweetheart. Tyler on the other hand, according to Hailey, is abrasive and thinks too highly of himself. “Just like Sam, only less stuck-up,” she told me once.
I thought the same thing at first, only I’ve come to learn that Tyler had a rough childhood and used humor to distract himself and his siblings from the world crumbling around them. He’s a clown, but his compliments are genuine, even if his delivery could use some improvement.
“So, why was this week so stressful? Did something happen?” I ask, now that we finally have a moment.
She gently shakes her head. “It’s been a rough month .”
I turn so that she has my full attention. “Why? What’s going on?”
“It’s not the time. We can talk later.”
I glance around for Sage to suggest we leave, but hear gasps from the kitchen. Sam appears in the walkway between the kitchen and living room, his hand wrapped in a dish towel. Blood quickly spreads over the white cotton.
I shoot an apologetic look at Hailey.
She rolls her eyes, but says, “It’s fine. Go take care of your dumbass.”
“I promise I’ll be right back.”
It turns out my dumbass squeezed his glass a little too tight, causing it to shatter in his hand. Once we get to his bathroom, I examine the cuts quietly. Despite the amount of blood on the towel, I don’t think any of them are deep enough to require stitches, and Sam rejects any idea of going to the ER anyway.
I get to work cleaning his hand and checking for stray glass, but I’m not entirely confident in my healer abilities.
“Are you okay? You seem off tonight?”
My head snaps up. “Off?” I ask, sharply. “I don’t like crowds or strangers or small talk. How do you not know that by now? And, you know,” I look back down and flip his hand over, preparing for the bandage, “I found out tonight that you’re ashamed of me.”
“What? How could you think that?”
“You told that lie about me only working as a server while I finish my bachelor’s degree.” I wrap the bandage around his hand, a little too tightly, based on his wince.
“Well, aren’t you?” Another wince.
“No, and you know this.”
“You are trying to find another job, aren’t you? I just assumed at some point you’d go back to school since you can’t find anyone to hire you as is. Besides, you can’t be a server forever,” he states, sounding identical to my father.
“Why not?” I have my reasons for wanting out of serving, but I’m tired of everyone looking down on the position. “You know, the job is important. I handle the food people consume. There’s a lot of responsibility and stress that comes with that.”
He snorts. “Sure. Anyway, you hate it.”
I struggle to find the words to refute his point because… well, I do hate it. So I say, “Okay,” because I’m eager to end this nonsense, find Sage, and leave. Maybe Hailey was right—I need to reevaluate this relationship.
Except, Sam is the only thing I’ve done right according to my parents. Would I really let him go because he wants better for me than a job that I already hate?
Without another word, I leave him sitting on the counter of his bathroom and go back out to the living room. I finally find Sage, but she informs me that Hailey wasn’t feeling up to a night out after all and left.
“We’ll just order a ride home. Unless you want to stay and start getting used to living with a boy?” She doesn’t wait for my response before bouncing off to go make friends with anyone and everyone. It’s so easy for her. She doesn’t overthink or stress or care about what others think of her. She just says and does what she wants, simply shrugging off the consequences.
There’s no answer when I call Hailey, so I send a text message instead. I’m sorry. We’ll talk tomorrow, just you and me. No interruptions.
I’m left standing there against the wall, my eyes flitting across the room looking for Sam or Tyler or Callum, anyone I can go stand beside just for comfort. I see a familiar woman who Tyler had a casual relationship with a few months ago. I’ve only met her once, so I don’t know her very well. I want to go up to her—scratch that, because want is a strong word. What I want to do is run away and never have to meet or make small talk with another person ever again. But I wish I was the sort of person who could go to her and say hi, tell her I like her blush-colored, a-line dress with the lace neckline. Maybe ask her how her dog is, the pinscher she said had a thyroid issue.
But a million ridiculous what-ifs siege control over my body, trapping me in place. Like, what if I accidentally make her uncomfortable by commenting on her dress? Or what if something has happened to her dog since the last time we spoke and I make her cry by bringing it up? Or what if she doesn’t remember me? Or thinks it’s creepy that I remember one small part of a conversation we had a couple of months ago?
So I stay put, appearing standoffish and rude when really, anxiety has me in a chokehold.