Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
August
The date with Drake had been utter perfection. I’d been thinking of it nonstop.
I’d done some errands, and when I pulled up to my house, Rory’s car was parked out front, which meant he’d be home and full of questions. Though after last night, my mind wasn’t as chaotic as it had been before.
One truth had emerged last night. Those bubbling feelings inside for Drake had solidified into something real. Something true.
I grabbed the handful of bags from the grocery store from the back and made my way to the front door.
The second I stepped inside, Rory exploded into view, all lanky limbs and accusations.
“August Evelyn Jones, I’ve been waiting for you.”
The bags dropped from my hands and teetered to the side, the contents rolling out.
“My mangoes!” I dropped to the ground, trying to scoop them up before they escaped out the still-open door.
“Ah, shit, let me help.” Rory chased an errant mango that had almost escaped and brought it over to the grocery bag. He lifted the bag up and strode toward the kitchen. “You’re coming in here, August Henrietta Jones.”
“You do know my middle name is Evan, right?” I muttered, dragging the other bag and my lightly bruised mangoes forward.
I’d known from the moment I headed home that I was in for an interrogation, one I’d been avoiding all week.
And my folks came home from their house-hunting trip to Florida tomorrow too.
They’d be looking for answers from me. They had sent over an email with job listings, house listings, pretty much anything I’d need to move.
They even included dentist recommendations and a selection of gay bars.
“Psh, you expect me to remember that?” Rory proclaimed as he set the bag on the kitchen counter.
“You remember my birthday. My middle name shouldn’t be that hard.”
“That’s because it’s your birthday.” Rory leveled me a no-nonsense look. “Middle names are like taints, in between the important shit.”
A laugh burst out of me, deflating some of the tension coiled inside. He was my best friend for a reason, and even though he might have some strong opinions about my plans, I knew in the end he’d support me no matter what.
“What the fuck are all these mangoes for?” Rory asked, picking up several from the bags and placing them on the counter.
“Eating? What the fuck else would they be for?”
“I don’t know, some new figging fad?” Rory opened the fridge and jettisoned cheese, yogurts, and cherry tomatoes inside.
“Keep my mangoes far away from your ass,” I said, clutching one protectively.
“In fact, I think I’m going to carve some up now.
” I snagged a knife and cutting board and diced up a few of the mangoes while Rory put away the rest of the groceries.
Within minutes, I’d accumulated a little pile of yellow-orange squares, and I popped them in a bowl and joined Rory over at the kitchen table.
The tension returned between us as I set the bowl on the table.
“So how was Drake’s?” Rory asked. “Assuming that’s where you were the other night?”
“Eat some damn mango,” I muttered, pushing the bowl in his direction.
He rolled his eyes and popped a few cubes in his mouth. His nose wrinkled. “Wow, what a shitty fruit.”
“More for me then,” I said, snagging a few and savoring the sweet, sharp taste.
“August, why the fuck would you move to Florida?” Rory burst out, as if he’d been holding that in for far too long. Knowing him, he probably had. “What’s waiting for you there?”
I scrubbed at my face. The truth, the one I knew deep down, was that I couldn’t think of a good reason to go. “I’m just tired of being alone.”
“Uh, pretty sure I’m right here,” Rory said, pointing at his chest.
I shot him a look. “And you’re going to renew our lease in six months and stay in this place forever and ever?”
“Well, fuck.”
“Right.” My chest sank at his frank answer, the reality settling in. It was one I’d been dealing with for a while now, as everyone made life plans that didn’t include me. Sure, I might be a needy motherfucker, but I didn’t think asking to be someone’s priority was unreasonable.
“One question for you,” he said. “And you can tell me to fuck off or not answer if you want.”
“Shoot,” I said, bracing myself for whatever truth bomb my best friend was about to drop.
“How’s what your parents are doing with moving down to Florida any different from me moving out? What extra connection will you have there that you won’t have here?”
Yup, gut punch. I chewed a few more mangoes to avoid answering, my chest throbbing with the truth that, yeah, even my folks had been focused on their relationship with the move, not their relationship with me.
Because they assumed I’d be off, making my own connections, settling down with someone on my own by now. Me fucking too.
“Hey, I’m not trying to be a dick here,” Rory said, lifting his hands. “Just trying to point out that if you want to move, it needs to be because you want it. Not because you’re afraid of everyone leaving you.”
“Okay, you keep up like this, and I’ll be KO’ed before we finish the conversation.” Seriously, ouch. Rory was charging in here with a carving knife, and as much as I hated the lance of pain in my chest, all my avoidance hadn’t forged any solutions either.
“What do you want?” Rory asked. “A life here, or a life somewhere else?”
Distilled like that, the answer was clear as daylight.
“Here.”
The admission cracked open something in me, and the breath rushed out, as if I’d been socked in the stomach. From the moment my folks had announced they were moving, I’d been torn over the idea of not being able to drop by at any time. At the idea of them moving on without me.
But the truth was, I knew them. They’d visit me, and I’d visit them. There was no future where they’d disappear from my life. I’d just been paralyzed by the change, because everyone had found their connections, and I was stuck on the outside.
“Thank fuck,” Rory said. “You looked miserable every time you mentioned Florida.”
Relief flooded through me in a fierce, blinding torrent.
Had the answer been that simple? I’d been tangled up with thoughts about this for weeks, but all it took was someone who knew me hammering a little bit of sense.
No part of me had wanted to leave. I liked my life here.
I liked where I worked, my friend group, and everything about the area.
The hard part would be telling my parents.
The other hard part would be pursuing what I really wanted.
Who I wanted.
Rory kicked me in the shin. “You haven’t told me more about firefighter hottie either, though Nyx told me he’s gorgeous. How come she and Owen got to meet him and not me?”
“Because he happened to be the one who answered the call over our fire alarm,” I said, popping a few more pieces of mango. “Owen’s still mortified over that one.”
“And we’ll never let Daddy Owen live that one down.”
“How does Wyatt react to you calling another man Daddy?” I asked.
“Eye roll usually. He knows me,” Rory responded. “Plus, it’s not like he wants me calling him Daddy. Weird enough that I’m friends with his daughter.”
“How is Harps doing?”
She was one of our old piercers who’d left to become a vet tech. We saw her once in a while, but she wasn’t around as much as she used to be. One of the shifts that had me shaken, because Alchemy Ink was my other family.
“Killing it in school, but she misses the crew,” Rory said. “Once the semester ends and she can breathe, she’s coming out to movie night again.” He eyed me. “But don’t think I missed the dodge. Fess up about Drake.”
Well, there went that attempt. My skin prickled, but I sucked in a deep breath. “We haven’t had a relationship talk, but he’s my ex’s brother, so I’m guessing there’s some shaky territory.”
“But you’re doing sleepovers, babe,” Rory said, pushing up to sit on the side of the kitchen counter, and he swung his legs back and forth, clearly getting out his excess energy. “When I was avoiding anything that resembled commitment, I didn’t sleep over. That was a GTFO as fast as possible.”
“Fuck, I want him so badly,” I murmured as I scrubbed at my face. “He doesn’t get scared away if I send a thousand rambling texts, and he fucks like a dream.”
“So when’s the wedding?” Rory teased, his eyes sparkling. “But seriously, if I can survive dating my friend’s dad and the weirdness with that, I think you can overcome his sister being your ex. You and…Salamandastron? You guys were barely dating. I didn’t even meet her.”
Rory was too far to kick, so I lobbed a crumpled-up napkin at him. “Serena. And yeah, I hadn’t met her family either. But what if Drake says it’s not worth the risk? Then I’m back at square one, loveless and alone.”
“August, my sweet baby child, you’ll never be completely alone.
Even if your parents move, even if I live with Wyatt, you have people who love you who’ll never let those connections wither away.
And I know even if you don’t end up with Drake, you’d find another roommate, and you’d win them over with your easygoing charm.
And now I’m a little jealous because they better not take my place. ”
A laugh burst from me, but Rory’s words were a lifeline, and I clung to the reassurance he offered.
“No one could take your place,” I responded. “No matter what changes.”
Rory arched a brow. “Now turn that back around and take some of your own advice.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Rude. I get the message, though. I’ll talk to Drake and my folks soon.”
My heart thrummed a little harder at the prospect. While my folks might be disappointed, they’d love me no matter what I chose.
Drake, on the other hand….
In the short time I’d known him, I’d gotten deeply attached. Each hangout, sleepover, date, just brought us even closer. I couldn’t imagine losing what we’d found.
But only the truth would tell if we would last.