Page 136 of The Sidekick

“He was acting shady. He told me to put my phone across the room from me on speaker and tried to make me promise not to run.”

Shade’s fists clench and loosen a few times before he speaks again. “So he was making sure that you couldn’t just hang up on him.”

I shrug, not really caring what he wanted right now.

“Let’s think like him for a second.”

“No.”

But Shade is a relentless force.

“He has something big to tell you, and he’s scared you’re going to pull a runner. He knows you will because you’ve proven it in class.”

“Don’t care,” I lie. He took a big chance, and he failed. I didn’t even try to grab his hand when he stepped off of the tightrope. I watched him fall right along with my heart.

“He wants to confess so badly that he called in the middle of the night instead of waiting until he saw you. He’s probably feeling pretty shitty right now.”

“I don’t care,” this time, the lie comes out as a whimper as the tears overflow. I try to draw my knees up, but I can't with the way Shade is holding me. He rests his chin on my head with a sigh.

“Of course you do, Tera. You always care, even when you shouldn’t. You forgive people for unforgivable shit all the time. You can turn just about everything around to be positive until it comes to you.”

“Rude,” I feebly protest his accurate description.

“Listen. You’ve been so focused on other people’s happiness that you don’t know how to deal with it when your own gets smashed to pieces anymore. You need to make adjustments and figure out how to get a handle on it. Without running away.”

“It’s ok for you to run, but I can’t?” The bitter tone is dredged from someplace that bubbles up inside more often than I like. How can I drag him through the mud when he's virtually in the same boat I am right now? I'm ashamed of myself.

“I asked for an in-town transfer.”

That brings my head up with suspicion. “Doing what?”

“A team lead.” He groans in frustration. “I’ll sit on my ass at home and set everything up for people remotely. No hands-on. More pay. No lost contact with Matthias.”

I say the first words that come to mind. “I am so proud of you. Now you can get your favorite tea at the coffee shop without complaining about costs.”

“It’s too fucking expensive, stop being a little shit. This isn't the point. You need to get off the floor and go get ready.” He pats my arm as he lets me go and stands.

“Where are we going?” He just said he wasn’t leaving. Now we’re running away?

“Nowhere. You need to brace yourself for when Asher shows up.”

“What?” I ask in surprise. That’s done. I hung up on him or ran from the phone, whatever. I’m not going back to his class, and I'll never see him again. I'll block his number. Problem solved.

“I get it,” Shade opens the door and stands there as he smirks down at me. “You’re used to the ‘Oh no. Tera is upset. We need to give her space’ shit. Asher doesn’t play that way. He faces things head-on. If you think you’re going to avoid him when he wants you this bad, you’re dead wrong.”

As he finishes speaking, there’s a heavy slamming on the front door.

“Time’s up,” Shade says with a smug grin and closes the door in my face.

The knock that sounds more like someone is trying to break the door down comes again. Music starts up in Shade’s room, soft but probably deafening in his bedroom. He's just going to ignore the threat to our door and go to bed listening to depressing music?

I sit there in a stupor. I’m not getting that. I don’t care if he wakes the neighbors.

Asher. That is the dumbest name I’ve ever heard. And now I have to put up with his shit. He acts like you two being together is done, no question. The fucking ego on this asshole. If he pulls anything with you, you tell me. I mean it. I don’t care what he says or does. I will take care of it.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Asher

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