Page 49 of Illicit

“What are you going to do if I did?” There’s a smile in her tone that reminds me of times when she didn’t hate me.

“I’d have no choice but to chase you down.” I don’t add that I’d do it with permission from her father since I’ve been tasked to keep an eye on her.

“I have good news.” She moves the conversation on, so I assume she’s not on the run.

“You found Heath Hayes and are saving me from having to meet Robichaux again?”

“Hardly. Uncle Sam is going to have to pay up for that one. My car has windows! I can pick it up anytime!”

“That’s good since we need to get you back to school to walk across the stage.”

“There’s no we, Roc. I’m going home as soon as you pay Jules. I need to clean up my apartment and pack.”

“You’re not going back there by yourself. I’m coming with you. I just got off the phone with your dad. He asked me to chaperone your way home to Miami. Looks like you’re stuck with me a while longer.”

“Of course he did,” she mutters. “I have two days until graduation, and I need to be out of my apartment the next day.”

“Then the timing is perfect since I have to be out of mine before then. I already promised your parents. They’re stressed enough about Sammie as it is. And, honest to God, does she know your parents are updating the entire world on the size of her vagina?”

There’s a pause over the line before she says, “You know, now that I think about it, it is sort of weird.”

“The baby’s coming, it’s not coming—that’s all I need to know. And don’t call me emotionally stunted or unattached. I’m completely in tune with my feelings.”

“Whatever. I’m just happy my car is done. If it weren’t for my mom insisting I walk for graduation, I’d go straight to Miami. I want to get back before the baby comes.”

“Despite the fact I know the size of your sister’s vagina, I still have no clue when that might be.”

“Again, it’s her cervix. You need to brush up on the female anatomy.”

“I can promise you, I do not need lessons on the female body.”

She laughs.

I actually made Teagan Mariana Coleman laugh.

I can’t remember the last time that happened. It used to be a normal occurrence. One I took for granted. Now that it happened again, I had no idea how much I missed it.

I pull in a deep breath and decide she needs to know. “Missed that, Teag.”

She’s banging around doing who knows what in my apartment. I don’t give a shit because I have nothing tangible in the world that means anything to me. But when she answers, there’s an echo of a smile in her tone. “Yeah? What’s that, Roc?”

As opposed to hers, my tone is sober. “Your laugh. Almost forgot what it sounded like.”

It’s her turn to sober, or at least that’s what it sounds like. The banging stops too.

“You didn’t run away, did you?” I ask.

“No,” she whispers. “I’m here.”

“Good. I’ll be home soon. What are you hungry for?”

I know what I’m hungry for. Yesterday at this time, I wasn’t willing to admit it.

“You’ve fed me the last two nights. But I’ve been going through your kitchen—there’s nothing here even if I wanted to cook for you. I’ll buy dinner tonight.”

“You’re not buying me dinner. Tell me what you want.”

She sighs. “Okay, thank you. You know I’m not picky.”

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