Page 72 of Make My Heart Malt

A hotel guest from across the hall peeks her head out the door. “Is everything okay?” Concern laces her voice.

I nod as I attempt to choke back a sob. “I-I’m fine. Thank you.”

Once my suitcase is packed again, I grab the box and tuck it under one arm. I roll my suitcase behind me to the bank of elevators. This was one of the best days of my entire life, and now it’s the worst. When I reach the lobby, Iplop down on a couch, defeated, and set the box next to me. I’m the world’s biggest idiot. How did I not see this coming? What the hell am I going to do? I can’t afford to stay here alone. Plus, I’d rather not stay anywhere near Tony. Since I'm unfamiliar with the city, I pull out my phone and dial the first person I can think of.

THIRTY

DUH. IT’S FIVE IN THE MORNING.

Garrett

I’m a miserable piece of shit. I throw myself onto the couch, wearing stained sweatpants and a holey t-shirt. It’s 8 p.m. on a Thursday night, and I’d rather sit at home than go out. The guys invited me to some new club in town, but I wasn’t feeling it. In fact, I haven’t been feeling it since my fight with Dessa. I’ve been numb. I hate that she’s mad at me. I hate she won’t talk to me. I was only trying to do the right thing. She deserved to know, and apparently, I’m the asshole for telling her.

For the past month, I’ve given her space, except for the New Year’s message I sent. I wanted her to know I was still thinking about her. Dessa needs time to figure things out on her own. That’s the way she’s always been. Growing up, you could give her the answer and she’d still work it outherself. I don’t want to push her, but fuck, not talking to her is killing me.

My phone buzzes on the coffee table, and I ignore it. I’m sure it’s one of the guys trying to convince me to go out tonight. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message. The ringing stops for a second, then starts up again. This time I glance at the screen, and Dessa’s name flashes at the top. I lean forward and scramble to pick it up, hitting the talk button as I press it to my ear. “I’m so glad you called.”

“Garrett,” she whimpers, followed by a sniffle.

“Dessa. What’s wrong?” I jackknife off the couch. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” She sucks in a sharp breath. “But I need your h-help.” Her voice cracks at the end.

“What do you need?”

A heavy sigh sounds through the speaker. “This sounds so stupid.”

“What is it?” My concern skyrockets with every second she’s not telling me what’s wrong.

“Your brother invited me to Chicago to meet Isabella Rossi. Everything was going good till he tried to kiss me.” She sniffles. “I pushed him away and then he kicked me out. I have nowhere to go. I don’t know where to go.”

Fucking Tony. Rage courses through my veins. I can’t believe he would do this. I pace back and forth in my living room. “Where are you right now?”

“I’m sitting in the lobby of the LaBelle Hotel. I-I don’t know what to do, Garrett.” She sniffles again.

“I know exactly where that’s at.” I race into the office where my computer is. I pull up the website for a hotel nearby. I’ll book her a room for the night and figure out the flight situation later. “Are you able to request an Uber?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m booking you a room at the Four Seasons. It’s fiveblocks away.” I put the phone on speaker while I book the room online.

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I’m just doing it. Call an Uber to take you there. They have your name and will take care of you.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“I’ll do anything for you. Call me when you check in.”

“Okay. Garrett?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, Tates.”

The call disconnects. Fuck. I wish I could be there right now, hold her in my arms, and tell her everything will be okay. It kills me I’m halfway across the country. Fuck it. I search for the next available direct flight to Chicago. There’s a redeye leaving in three hours for two grand. Right now, I don’t give a shit about the money. Dessa’s alone, and I need to be with her. I charge the flight to my credit card, throw some clothes in a backpack, and race out of my condo to the parking garage.

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