Chapter 56
DANI
I have to suffer through my story a second time, but the police officer interviewing me is really nice.
She has a calm, quiet voice, and her partner is an old guy with gray hair and grandpa vibes.
They’re both very kind and compassionate, and they’re not going to charge me for attacking Reef.
Thank God. But they have taken him to the station for questioning.
Hopefully the truth will come out, and he’ll get some kind of consequence for giving Atlas those pills that night. There has to be some kind of charge for that, right?
He aided Atlas in his overdose. Surely he’ll get time for that.
“Unfortunately,” the officer sighs, looking at Tyrell, who just asked the very question I was thinking, “I wouldn’t hold my breath.
It’s been a long time since your friend OD’d, and it will be very hard to prove that those pills were the final tipping point.
I don’t think there’ll be enough submissible evidence. ”
“So he just gets away with it?” Tyrell spits.
The officer gives him a pained frown, and I shake my head, hating that life can be so fucking unfair sometimes.
I can sense Tyrell wants to argue this further, but I grip his shirt, giving it a little tug and shaking my head. It’s over. Atlas is gone, and nothing will change that.
He huffs and scowls at the officer. “Can you at least check that he’s not carrying any dangerous drugs on him? Maybe he can get busted for possession or something. And you can charge him for assault while you’re at it. Look at her cheek.” He points at me.
The officer nods. “We will be looking into all of that, I assure you.”
The paramedics arrive, and the officers leave them to it.
The one who tends my cheek and makes me look into this flashlight thing a few times before finally relenting is nice.
He’s worried about a concussion, but in the end decides it’s mild and hands me two Advil.
I down them and hope the effects kick in soon.
Nevertheless, he tells everyone around me what to look for over the next few days.
If my headache gets any worse or I start feeling dizzy or nauseous, they have to take me to the hospital. Everyone promises they’ll do exactly that, although I won’t be with any of these people in the next day or two.
Tobin and Jed are flying back to New York tomorrow, I think, and even though Nix has offered to let me stay the night at Darian’s place so I don’t have to drive back to Colorado Springs tonight, I’m still hesitating.
Because the only person I want to be with right now is sitting beside me.
“What do you want to do?” Tyrell softly asks, his voice a husky mumble while everyone else starts discussing my plans for the night.
“I want to get out of here,” I whisper back, then shift my head to look up at him. “Can you take me… somewhere? Anywhere.”
He nods, his brown gaze a gentle caress. “Where are you staying tonight?”
“I was planning on driving back to Colorado Springs.” I wince.
“Maybe you should take Nix up on her offer?”
“Yeah.” I purse my lips. “Maybe.”
His lips curl into a soft smile. “Come on.” He gives me a gentle nudge with his arm. “Let’s at least get out of this place, and I can drop you to her house later.”
“Okay.” A spark of hope skips through me when he rises from his seat, then reaches down to offer me his hand.
I take it, because there is seriously nothing else I want to do right now.
As I rise from my spot on the couch, Tobin catches my eyes, his lips twitching into a grin as he flicks his fingers, ushering us away before anyone else notices.
Within seconds, I get a flurry of texts.
Jed: Tell him you love him.
Nix: You better kiss that boy before the end of the night. Do you want me to wait up for you?
Tobs: I need deets, but they must include - we’re back together!
The only one I respond to is Nix, because she asked me an actual question.
Me: No. You take care of you. I’ll let you know how the rest of my night pans out and if I need a place to crash.
Nix: Fingers crossed it’ll be in his bed!
I wince, the thought making my stomach spasm. I’m a ball of nerves as I amble beside Tyrell. I don’t know where his car is, but I follow him without thought because it’s Tyrell and I trust this man.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asks me when we turn down another road. The streetlights illuminate our way, casting long shadows on the sidewalk.
I shake my head but answer, “I’m okay.”
“You don’t have to be brave for me, you know. You can be whatever the fuck you want. You can cry or scream or yell or… not say a damn thing. Whatever you need.”
I smile at that, loving the complete absence of pressure. I can be what I want, and he’ll accept it.
Just like he always does. So accepting. So respectful.
Brushing the back of my finger down his hand as it swings past me, I softly check, “How are you feeling?”
A breath snorts out his nose, his voice gravelly and gruff when he replies, “I’m raging. Trying not to be a dick about it, but…” He growls. “I want to break that fucker’s fingers!”
“No. You’re not allowed to do that.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll get arrested.”
I snatch his hand, pulling him to a stop so he can turn and look at me. Gazing up at him, I touch his face with a smile. “No, I mean, you can hold him down and I’ll break his fingers.”
He snickers, his smile blooming as he cups my cheeks. “You’re so tough.”
“Not really.” I sigh, flinching just a little when he brushes his thumb across my aching cheek.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, letting me go and taking a step away from me.
I immediately feel bereft and desperately want to reach for his hand again.
Instead, I thread my fingers together and softly confess, “I’m not okay either.
” I close my eyes, shaking my head and trying to word this perfectly.
“I mean, I’m okay. I’m coping with life, and I feel much more secure and calm than I did…
back when…” My voice trails off, and I give him a pained frown.
He nods, tucking his hands into his pockets and looking to the ground with a sad smile.
“But I miss you,” I rasp, then let out a watery laugh. “I keep trying to convince myself that being single is the way to go, but then something will happen and all I can think about is telling you. Texting you or sharing it with you.”
His eyes round just a little, like he wasn’t expecting me to say this.
“And I should have.” I nod. “I did this epic road trip to New York, you know? To visit Jed and Tobs, and it was great. I had a good time.” My nose starts to tingle.
“And I would have had a much better time if you’d been there with me.
We could have blasted Whitney on the freeway. Sung until our voices were hoarse.”
The right side of his mouth curls up, then grows into that full smile I love so much. “I would have taken the back roads. More time with you.”
My breath catches and I reach for his hand, playing with his long, strong fingers. “I’ve been so afraid.”
“Of what?” He takes one of my locs between his fingers, spinning it back and forth.
“Of being in love with you.”
He goes still, and I dare to check his expression. His lips are slightly parted, his eyes all wide and… hopeful?
“Would that be so bad?” he whispers.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I could lose you. And the thought of having to get over you or live without you was all just… too much.”
“You’re already living without me.” He lets my hair go so he can cup my cheek. “And I want to stop missing you too. I want to stop mapping out this life for myself that has this big hole in it, because you’re not there.”
I know that feeling. Oh shit, I know that feeling so well.
“Let’s just be together.” He leans down, catching my gaze and practically begging me, “Please, baby. Just be with me.”
“But what if—”
“No what-ifs,” he cuts me off. “We can’t do that to ourselves.
We have to live in the what is. And what is…
” His voice trails off as a smile curls his lips again, his eyes lighting with this affection that is just so damn sweet.
“What is… is that I love you. And I want to spend my time with you. I want to text you when I see something funny, and I want to call you just so I can hear your voice.”
My insides bloom with this warmth that’s so addictive, I’m not sure I ever want to move from this spot.
Stepping right up against him, I wrap my arms around his neck and rise to the tips of my toes.
“I want to kiss you when I see you.” I brush my fingers across the back of his neck.
“And I want your arm around me when I’m watching a movie on the couch.
I want to thread my fingers between yours when I’m walking down the street. ”
“I want to travel the world with you. See every sight and sound and culture. I want to experience all of that. With you.”
My smile grows a mile wide as I whisper, “Me too,” then pull his head down so he can kiss me.