Page 27 of Always Been You
“Are you boys out at this hour?”
“No, sir,” Josh replies quickly, but his voice overlaps with Eddie’s sharp retort.
“What do you want, Gramps?”
The older man sighs, exasperation laced through his words. “When will you stop this self-destruction? This isn’t going to bring your parents back.”
Eddie stiffens beside me, his entire body going rigid as if bracing for a blow. His hands clench and unclench repeatedly, his knuckles white as he struggles to contain his anger.
Josh pulls the car to a stop, but I barely register our surroundings. My eyes are locked on Eddie, whose breaths come heavier now.
“WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT?” Eddie’s voice is low, measured, and trembling with barely restrained fury.
“Don’t take that tone with me, boy,” the older man snaps.
“Good evening, sir,” I speak up, my voice cutting cleanly into the tension. Eddie’s head whips toward me, surprised, but I press on. “I don’t know who you are, but calling without a clear purpose and choosing to needle someone you know is already hurting is very wrong.” The line goes silent for a moment before the man speaks again.
“Who are you?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter,” I reply coolly. “What matters is that you seem to know he would be awake by this time and decided to call for whatever reason. However, your tone is very upsetting. If you didn’t have any clear purpose for the call, then why did you bother calling knowing this late?”
The silence on the other end stretches uncomfortably, but then the man chuckles, a cold, unsettling sound that catches me off guard.
“What did I say to hurt him?” he asks, his voice mocking.
“With all due respect, sir,” I say evenly, “if you don’t know that bringing up his parents would hurt him, I question your intentions.”
There’s another pause, and then the man bursts into laughter, startling me. I suddenly feel a pang of guilt; wasn’t I just as careless earlier when I brought up his past? I was so focused on my pain I didn’t realize he hadn’t fully healed.
Eddie ends the call abruptly, breathing in and out, trying to contain his fury. I place my hands on his in an attempt to calm him. The silence that follows is heavy until Josh clears his throat.
“We’re here.”
I finally glance at my surroundings, confusion blooming. “How do you know where I stay?”
“You stay here?” Josh asks, glancing back. “I was dropping him off, so I figured I’d drop you off after.”
“What?” I whip my head toward Eddie, the pieces clicking into place. “Are you the other person living here?”
He leans back with a smirk that makes my blood boil. “Looks like it. I guess we live together.” For a moment, I stare at him, utterly baffled. Wait, was this some kind of cosmic joke? But… he seemed okay now, at least.
“We don’t,” I snap, rushing out of the car and slamming the door behind me. My feet carry me to my door in record time, and I shut it hard, leaning back against it as my heart pounds.
Get a grip, Lawliss. This doesn’t change anything. So what if Eddie is this close? So what if I can practically smell his cologne from here? Calm down. Be professional.
I press my palms to my face, willing my heart to slow, but the realization won’t stop circling in my head.
OH. MY GOD. OH. MY GOD. Eddie is this close to me. Jeez. What do I do?
Firm. I need to stay firm. Calm down.
I walk into the living area and breathe in and out to calm my racing heart. Tossing my purse onto the center table, I freeze at the sharp cling of glass, the sound louder than I expect in the silence. My nerves jolt.
With a sigh, I pick up the purse, grab my phone, and scroll through my contacts. My thumb hovers over my sisters’ names, but… no. Talking to them about this now doesn’t feel right. They all know Eddie both before and after. But Dzifa only knows the version I’ve told her about. She’ll be on my side.
At least for tonight.
I press her name, and she picks up on the second ring, her voice groggy and dripping with sleep.
