Page 78 of Drop Three

I toss the washcloth in the laundry room before heading to my room for the night.

I yawn to myself. You’d think I’m not used to staying up this late, but I am. The gravity of dating is exhausting. Although it was a great date, starting from the “get to know each other” stage takes a lot out of you.

I’ve never had to do that before.

My thoughts are too deep for the level of sleep deprivation I feel right now. A hot shower should relax and put me into a comatose sleep.

“Navy,” I hear Bodhi whisper as I’m halfway up the stairs.

I stop my climb and turn to him without a word.

His hazy eyes are on me; the sleepiness in them is heavy, but he’s still otherworldly handsome.

The house is silent, making even the quietest sound audible to the two of us.

“You called me B. I’ve missed it,” Bodhi admits in a soft whisper.

My heart beats out of my chest.

I was hoping he didn’t hear that.

I’ve intentionally not called him the more than friendly word I once associated with him.

It feels too personal now.

But watching him fight through a nightmare, nothing else came out.

I nod in still silence, choosing not to verbalize how I feel.

Now isn’t the time. I don’t think it ever really will be. He doesn’t need to know that it makes me sad to hear him say he missed something about me to the point I feel physically ill.

I’m sick over the loss of someone I never truly had.

“Thank you,” Bodhi whispers loud enough to hear him.

I’m not sure which he’s thanking me for: for calling him B or caring for him in a vulnerable moment.

I don’t need to know.

It’s better that way. Refusing to acknowledge something that feels so intimate is the best way I can ensure Bodhi stays in the friend zone.

Exactly where he put us to begin with.

24

BODHI

“You think he’s alive?”

“Don’t know. Let’s find out.”

Clang. Clang. Clang.

What in the actual fuck?A sharp metallic soundclangsin my ear, making me launch up, my eardrum suffering the ultimate death.

Jesus.My eyes fly open, and I search for the nearest object to launch at Kingston’s face. Of course it’s Kingston, with Gus right by his side.

“What the fuck, King?” I groan.

---