Chapter 4 Leo #2
I am about to say something, but Kai decides it’s time to do his job, and he picks up an empty case of beer bottles, heading straight for the back room.
Noah looks at me; I look at Rachel, who gives me a wink and follows Kai.
I guess now I need to entertain the accountant-looking dude while those two spend time in the storage room.
Fuck my life. It’s not like this guy isn’t cute, he is.
Just not my type. I am more into muscular builds, tattoos, and kind of toxic guys.
This one is sweet and polite, and even though he is attractive as fuck, he is way too nice for me to waste both our time. Yes, why am I drawn to him so much?
He smiles and takes the seat in front of me. “How long have you had the bar?” He attempts to make small talk, and that’s why I don’t like guys like him.
“Since we were a little over eighteen, Kai and I opened it right after... well, it doesn’t matter now.
We’ve had it for years, and it has been going great.
” I choose not to share the fact that Kai and I met at juvie, because when I do that, the next question is what brought me there.
And even though Kai was there because of stealing, my story is a little darker.
No one except him knows. I always make sure to avoid the question, change the subject, and never keep people around for long, especially not boyfriends or girlfriends.
“Give me a moment, please.” I say as I put a bowl of chips in front of him.
I walk to the other side of the bar where Logan is chatting with Melanie again.
“We are going to close for the night, Melanie; we will clean the rest. Can you make sure this guy gets in a cab and not on his motorcycle?” I point to Logan, who’s barely sitting straight on his bar stool.
“Come on, darlin’. Time to get you home.” Melanie tells the grumpy guy who’s trying to argue, but lets her help him off the stool and onto his feet.
I hand her the bag and jacket she is usually leaving inside the bar for safekeeping.
She drapes the bag strap over her shoulder and the jacket over the bag, then puts Logan’s arm over her shoulder as she forces him to walk with her.
“Goodnight, Leo.” She says, and I nod before I grab a beer for myself; I crack the bottle open while I watch them pass in front of Noah.
They stop, and Melanie leans over him, but I can still hear her voice.
“Hon, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from this guy, and make sure your friend stays away from the fuck boy in the storage room.
” She tells him as if it’s a friendly advice, and it might as well be, but it’s not their choice to stay away.
Rachel at least is stuck with Kai. I recognize the look he has when he is with her. He is already obsessed.
“Hey!” I yell. “ I get why you say that about Kai but what did I do?” I ask in confusion.
“Seriously? You both fuck anything that moves, never call them back and expect no one to notice. You are just the less of two evils, because you sometime are decent enough to tell them to not expect you while Kai tends to just ghost people.” Then turns back to Noah.
“ I will admit though he does look really interested to your friend. I doubt it will last.” And with that she drags Logan out of the bar and I rush behind them to lock.
When I return, Noah is looking defeated, inspecting his beer bottle for whatever secrets he hopes to find.
“Are you hungry?” I try to ignore what Mel said, because, let’s face it, even though it is true, I don’t really wish to make this man uncomfortable.
I don’t know him, and I can’t tell for sure, but he seems like the worrying type and the protective type when it comes to his friend.
The last thing I need is for him to worry about what Kai can do to her.
“I can eat.” He smiles at me, and I take everything back. This smile... it’s a smile worth falling in love with. Wait... no. Don’t go there, Leo. That never ends well.
“How does pizza sound? We can eat and check the cameras for whatever those two are doing in there.” I say and wink at him.
“Food and gossip. I knew I liked you.” He says with a smile. No, you should not like me.
I pick up my phone, open the app for the pizzeria next door, and order a large pizza before I walk around and take a seat next to him. I open the app for the cameras and pick the one in the storage room, setting the phone between us against the bowl of chips I offered him earlier.
“At least they’re not fighting, does the camera have sound?” Noah asks.
“Actually, it does, but we keep it off for legal reasons. Since it’s just Kai and Rachel back there, we can turn it on.
” I say and press the button to unmute the feed.
Kai’s voice comes through the phone clearly, and it doesn’t take long for both of us to understand what is happening when his hand travels on Rachel’s thigh and a moan escapes her.
I turn the phone screen down on the counter and look at Noah.
“Are they about to fuck?” Another moan comes from the phone and what the hell they are actually fucking. I take the phone in my hand and frantically try to cut off the recording.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” I yell as I push buttons and their moans grow louder.
“Damn it how the fuck do you turn this stupid thing off?” Instead of turning it off, I somehow turn the volume up even more, because why not listen to my best friend a fuck his kidnapper in full volume.
In our storage room too. I will need to burn the dam room after.
Maybe burn the bar too in the process. It’s not like I haven’t heard him fuck before but he is usually a little more subtle about, and most of the time I have at least the option of noise canceling headphones. I need a fucking drink.
“Give it to me.” Noah grabs my phone from my hand and starts pressing buttons.
“Close it, I can’t hear Kai having sex.” I yell closing my ears with my fingers.
“And you think it’s great for me hearing and watching them?
” Noah shouts back and seems to have hit the right button because silence falls and he sighs.
“There! It’s not recording anymore. I am not sure, but I think I may have deleted the feed for the entire month in the process. ” He tells me as he hands me my phone.
I chuckle and take the phone back. “I don’t give a fuck as long as it’s not their sex tape saved on my phone.”
He laughs. “Fair.” Oh god, he has a nice laugh. I don’t need him to have a nice laugh; I am supposed to not be interested in this guy.
We both grab our beer bottles and I slightly tap mine on his. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” He repeats with a smile and takes a sip. I am about to do the same, but a tap on the door reminds me we ordered food. Since the pizza place is next door, it also means food is always delivered fast, and I haven’t been so happy about pizza in my life.
I abandon my seat and go to the door, unlock it, and take the pizza box in my hand.
It’s a quick thank-you exchange between myself and the delivery guy, since I have already paid and tipped more than well enough before I close the door again and watch him walk away.
I lock and approach the bar. I reach over the counter and grab a pack of paper plates, because why clean more when it’s just us.
Us. Such a weird thing to think of, the fact that it could even be a possibility for this strange group of people to become an everyday type of reality.
But Noah feels familiar in a way. And the two people in the storage room are definitely close enough to not care about paper plates.
For now, at least, I think it’s safe to consider them a part of my life.
Just for a little bit, at least. Probably until Rachel realizes what an absolute psycho Kai is and runs for the hills.
If he continues his off-work activities, I might even join her.
It’s weird that he is so damn unhinged. His family is far from that level of insanity.
His brother, I will admit, he’ s a dickhead, but he is a very stable workaholic dickhead who just wants nothing to do with his blood family, something I respect.
His sister is another story entirely. The girl grew up in a loving foster family who later adopted her.
She doesn’t have memories of the tragedy that happened to them, or any trauma because of it.
She is happy, and a little judgmental, and once, a lifetime ago, she was the love of my life.
Until she realized how damaged I am. Kai is another case entirely.
He carried the trauma of what happened with him.
He made it a shield and hid behind it. He became this overly happy person who seems like he doesn’t give a fuck about anything when, in reality, he gives a fuck about everything.
And that’s the problem. To keep the cover of the person he wants to be, but fails to, he has always chased one impulse decision after another.
I grab a piece and put it on one of the plates and offer it with a napkin to Noah.
While I try my best to keep my mind from wandering off in an internal monologue of doom and despair, I need to stop overthinking.
“I promise you, it’s one of the best pizzas you have ever eaten.
” I say with confidence and grab one for myself too.
I bring the cheesy goodness to my mouth and take a large bite, letting the taste fill my body and ease my worries.
Comfort food is called comfort food for a reason, and mine will always be Reynaldo’s pizza, and maybe a beer to go with it.
Actually, definitely a beer to go with it.