Chapter 11 #2
That was some easy confirmation. I mean, come on, we both knew why she named her cat Cauldron, and lovingly calls him Ron Ron.
Sometimes it is hard to believe she feels this too, and other times it is so obvious.
I think my own doubts that she could possibly want me are what have me on the rollercoaster ride with her.
I think my pushing her away is what has her so hot and cold with me.
I think I need to focus on the idea that neither of us is willing to get off the ride.
I show her how to use my VPN and watch as she pulls a slip of paper out of her pocket, she taps an address from Sacramento in. “Do you happen to have a pen?”
I pull one out of my jacket pocket. She takes it, scribbling directions to the address, then clicks on the street view, we both look at the images that come on the screen of a small house. She then closes out of it all, handing me back my phone. “Don’t bother asking questions, I won’t be sharing.”
“Alright,” I tell her having already memorized the address and knowing that Virus and I will be sitting down later today to figure out what the fuck this is about.
“We can go,” she says seeming to refuse to look at me.
“Hungry?”
Her body stiffens some, slowly relaxing, before I get an answer from her, her phone rings. She slides it out hitting answer when we both see Mint’s name and picture, pressing it to her ear. “Hey.”
I am close enough to hear Mint’s side too.
He invites her out for lunch, apparently, they are going to go have falafels.
I fucking love falafels, especially where I know they will be going.
I debate how to excuse my interrupting them.
I grin as it comes to me. I grab the phone from Harry, pressing it to my ear. “Hey, we can meet you there.”
“Carbon? What the fuck? Why are you… is Harry okay?” I can hear the concern in his voice.
“She’s good, I ran into her at Hemmy’s, she was getting her car, and she was asking for how to get to the main library, I needed to drop some paperwork off at City Hall, so I offered to take her,” I tell him. I don’t bother to explain why I was at Hemmy’s, Mint won’t think to ask either.
“Oh. And… you both are getting along?” he asks while Harry stares at me with shock and a pinched look.
“Interestingly, yes. I was going to suggest to her that we get lunch so we could work out our differences, I am tired of the fighting, and she is too,” I assure him. I am working pretty fucking hard here to keep his hackles down, I hope he appreciates that one of these days.
“Well shit, this is great news. Wow. Thank you for… thank you. Yeah, meet us there, and we can… shit… this is great, we can turn a new page in this story. I’m proud of you, Carbon.
I know it isn’t easy to try to make things right, but I am glad you are,” I can hear the real happiness in his voice, and I feel pretty fucking guilty.
“It was time,” I confirm. We hang up and I look at Harry. “Ready?”
“What the fuck was that?” she growls, and damn is that cute.
“I really fucking like falafels.” I tighten my arm around her shoulders and lead her back out of the library.
“You are the most annoyingly frustratingly absurdly confusing man,” her grumbly little voice makes me chuckle. I press a kiss to the side of her head making her huff out a breath, but she doesn’t bother moving out of my grasp, no, she shifts a little closer. That’s my spicy girl.
I get her over to the ‘Drive-In’ for lunch and can see Wally’s concern, Mint’s confusion, and Meadow’s surprised happiness at seeing Harry on the back of my bike. We step into line with them, and no one says a word for a solid minute. Mint finally shakes his head. “So, you two sorted shit out?”
Harry gives a single shoulder shrug. “I think I would call it more of an understanding.”
I chuckle, “Agreed.”
“And—” his eyes move over to my bike parked next to his and Wally’s before coming back to me, “—why?”
“You know your sister had never been on a motorcycle before? I gotta be honest, I was shocked, but I think the ride helped us to just deal with”—I motion between her and me to imply the tension or trouble, whatever they want to think of it as.
“Just make sure you don’t do that around the clubhouse, people will get the wrong idea,” Mint grunts.
“Would that be so bad?” Meadow happily prods and I lift my brow at her.
Looks like Meads is on team Harbon here—damnit Virus, now he has me doing it.
Shoving that aside. Meads on my side though will make this easier.
I know she will go to bat for me and if she does, Wally will.
I glance over at him. He is eyeing me, I think he is trying to evaluate what this is for me.
Mint grumbles a bit then gives a shrug. It seems like this is how we all communicate now.
We order, then grab seats, I end up sitting with Harry on one side of the table while Mint and Wally flank Meadow.
Meads and Harry have chipper conversation while Mint seems lost in his own mind and Wally watches me.
Wally’s eyes dart to Harry then back to me with one brow up in question.
I give a single shouldered shrug. He sits back a little as he absorbs that.
His head turns, he looks over at Mint, seeming to be thinking, he then turns back to looking at me.
His face is firm as he gives me a slight dip of his chin.
“Wait, you broke up?” Meads asks, a huge smile on her face. “Harry, I’m sorry for you having to do that, but this is good. Right?”
Harry nods. “It is good. Austin wasn’t a good fit.”
I stare down at Harry, who is trying to avoid looking at me. I shift my thighs a little wider on the bench, my knee touches her leg, she doesn’t move away instead her leg seems to lean into mine. I am so fucking glad to hear she dumped that guy—he was eating at my sanity.
Meads reaches across the table, giving Harry’s hand a squeeze. “Everything is going to work out.”
Mint shifts to stare at Meadow, something about what she said has him taking notice, I consider her words.
Has Meadow told Harry she thinks we would be good together?
She is clearly on my side here, but has she actually said it to Harry?
That would be fucking great if she has, I seriously have an uphill battle with my woman.
I need to tread very carefully because I have given her hot and cold for so fucking long.
By the time I get Harry back to my place, I know she is going to high tail it out of here, but I try to coax her in the house anyway. “You want a beer?”
Her eyes move over me. “Why?”
“Because beer is good?” I tease knowing she isn’t asking about beer.
“Just be real with me.” Her hands go to her hips as we stand in my driveway. “Are you going to pull the rug from under me again?”
“No.” I shift on my feet, knowing she isn’t ready for me to tell her that I am done pretending.
That today marks the shift. That my goal is to claim her.
That I should have years ago, but fucked up by pushing her away, over and over.
I need her to trust that I am not going to pull the rug from her before I can get her to believe I am serious about this.
This is all my own damned fault. Honestly, looking back I am not sure if I made the right choice by not just hard charging Mint on this.
Pretty sure I didn’t. The consequences since have sucked. Yeah, definitely fucked up there.
Her hands come out in front of her, tense, like she could just wring my damned neck. “You know what, fine, don’t have a reasonable conversation with me.”
She whirls on her heel, fumbling with her keys, and gets into her car. I hold my hand up in a static wave, not wanting to fuck with things more than I might have already. Her eyes meet mine through the windshield, she seems to sigh as she lifts her own hand in goodbye.
As soon as she is out of sight, I call Virus.