Chapter 5 Lane #3
“She’s all alone, Lane!” He flicks up his middle finger.
“So what? What am I—a charity? I like living by myself, end of discussion.”
He’s grinding his teeth, ruffling his hair. He gazes out the window, suddenly lost in thought.
“Deep down, you know that’s not the issue,” he sighs, turning back to me.
“Don’t start with that, Cart,” I rasp.
“Start with what? You bring him up all the time, and now all of a sudden we shouldn’t mention him? Whenever I come over, we somehow always end up talking about Mike. And you know what?” He stares at me. “Since I dropped you off over the weekend, you haven’t mentioned him. Not even once.”
“We haven’t hung out since then.”
“So you’re not denying it—”
“First of all, my brother has nothing to do with any of this. Second of all, I don’t always bring him up.”
At least, I don’t think I do.
“It’s been three years, and we still talk about him every day, dude. And I don’t mind that, I really don’t. I miss Mike, too. We were best friends since we were in diapers, since before you were even born, Laney.”
“Adorable,” I snort.
“I’m just saying that giving her a place to crash could be a good thing—something new to keep your mind busy. I’m not telling you to put her up forever, but why not help her out? The room is—”
“The room is Mike’s room!” I slam a fist down on the counter, and Lois’s eyes dart over to me. The music blasting from her ears means she can’t hear us, but she must have noticed me lash out.
“Okay, okay.” Carter holds up his hands. “That part is harder, I get that. But how ’bout the couch? It’s a little basic, sure—but it would do, just for a couple of days while she gets back on her feet.”
“You’re killing me here!”
“Come on, Lane. You know it makes sense. Helping someone in their hour of need… It’s good for the soul, especially for a guy like you. Maybe it’ll get rid of some of that guilt you’ve been carrying around.”
I turn away from him, clutching the edge of the sink. He has pissed me off so bad, I’m this close to heading out for a drive. He came over to work, and instead here he is, hosting the fucking Dr. Carter Show.
What did I do to deserve friends like these?
“Remember when you had to retake your freshman year, how mad and hurt you were that fall? Remember how you didn’t want any friends, you just wanted to be left alone, and I had to give you a kick up the ass when Lewis and Adam came over to say hi?
And then Donovan showed up, and now you four are like brothers?
” He pauses, waiting for the words to sink in.
“Who knows? Maybe now Lois needs a bit of that herself.” He snorts, easing the tension.
“Lois Lane, for fuck’s sake! If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is! ”
“If you’re that concerned, why don’t you take her back to your place?”
“Hmm, let me think.” Carter holds a finger to his chin. “Because I live in a studio and I already sleep on my own couch?”
It’s official: I’m doomed.
“What if I can’t shake her off?”
“Trust me, buddy: That girl is hating this just as much as you are. Carry on the way you are, and I’d say the worst-case scenario is she stabs you with a potato peeler in your sleep.”
Suddenly, Lois slams her laptop shut and rips out her earbuds, swearing like a trucker. I go to tease her, but Carter places a hand on my arm.
“Think ‘potato peeler,’ dude…”
“What’s going on, Lois?” I try to pour as much sympathy as I can into my voice, but it rings hollow, and she stares at me, one eyebrow arched.
“This town is insane,” she snarls, jumping to her feet.
“The only places left are super expensive. I’d need to sell a kidney.
Actually, make that two kidneys. And the cheap hotels are so far away from campus, I’d need to sell the damn kidneys just to pay for transport.
” She lets out a breath, tugging out her hair tie, her thick hair tumbling loose.
Aaaaand she’s back. I suppress a smile.
“More coffee?” Carter offers tentatively.
She nods, sliding onto the stool across from me. I suddenly realize I’m staring at her, because she shoots me a dirty look.
“Don’t worry, Lane, I won’t hang around.”
“I didn’t say a thing.”
“Your eyes are doing the talking for you.”
“He usually lets his dick do all the talking,” Carter jokes, fresh coffees in hand.
Lois reaches for her mug. “Sounds fascinating.”
I watch as she takes a few long gulps, eyes locked on the ceiling.
“Laneyyy…” Carter drawls in a singsong.
I close my eyes and grit my teeth.
“Come on, Laney boyyyy…”
I let out a growl, tugging on a curl that’s sprung loose across my forehead.
“What are you guys doing?” Heartbreak seems confused, and that makes sense. We’re being ridiculous.
“Laney…”
“Enough already!” I thunder, loud enough that Lois nearly falls off her stool. “YoucanstayabitlongerLois.”
“I’m sorry—What?”
I need to get the words out fast, before I take them back. “YoucanstayabitlongerLois.”
“Huh, can you maybe translate, Carter? I’m lost.”
“Lane says you can crash on his couch for a while longer.” He beams.
Have I mentioned I hate this guy?
“W-what? Why?”
“Because you’ve got nowhere else to go,” he chirps.
“Yeah, I know that. I meant more like: ‘Why is he offering to let me stay?’ He can’t even stand to be in the same room as me!”
“He’s a little grumpy, but he’s got a big heart—a real sensitive streak. Oh, and a free couch!”
“He’s also sitting right here,” I interrupt. My patience is wearing thin.
“Okay, I get it. You guys are messing with me.” She looks at Carter, as if I were invisible.
“I’m telling you, it’s true! He likes helping people out. And a damsel in distress gets him every time.”
“You want some knuckles with that coffee, Cart?”
Lois scrapes back her chair, and I circle around the kitchen island to join her.
“We’re not messing with you,” I say. “I’m giving you a little more time to figure things out.”
“See what I mean?” Carter smirks, glancing over at me. “The host with the most!”
She searches my face, trying to decide whether I’m for real.
“A little more time,” I say, flipping Carter the finger without glancing his way.
She opens her mouth. Closes it. Opens it again. Weighing her options.
“Make up your mind,” I hiss.
Shit! So now I’m the one begging her to stay?
She runs her tongue over her teeth. “Okay.”
“No shit!”
“I’ll give you rent money.”
“I own this place, I don’t need rent. Just focus on working your shit out.” I shrug. “And pick up some groceries from time to time.”
“I’ll leave early in the morning and work late at the library. It’ll be almost like I’m not even here.”
“Almost,” I mutter, despite myself.
“Potato peeler, Lane,” Carter coughs under his breath. Subtle guy.
Lois raises an eyebrow at him before swiveling back to me. “I’m going to try to find somewhere as soon as I can.”
“Let’s hope you have more luck with dorms than you do with motels…”
“Gee, thanks for believing in me.”
“Anything for you, sunshine.”
We spend another long minute staring each other down, until Carter brings us back to reality with a few taps on the table.
“You guys are so inspiring!”
“We got a deal, Heartbreak?” I hold out a hand.
She’s clenching her jaw, I notice. But whatever she wants to say—her desperation keeps her silent.
Slowly, she nods. “Deal.”