Page 36 of Healing Hearts
What the fuck is happening to me?
I pick up a wrench, determined to lose myself in the familiar routine of tightening bolts and checking fluids. But instead, I just sit here on the garage floor thinking about her,
"Damn it," I mutter, tossing the wrench aside. "What are you doing to me, Brooke Edwards?"
I reach for my phone, my heart pounding. Should I call her? What would I even say? 'Hey, I can't stop thinking about you'? Yeah, that wouldn't sound desperate at all.
My thumb hovers over her name in my contacts when suddenly?—
"Trying to summon your lady love through sheer willpower?"
I nearly jump out of my skin, dropping my phone. "Shit, Reid! Wear a bell or something, will you?"
My colleague, and friend, is leaning against the garage doorframe, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt your brooding session. Though I gotta say, it's a good look on you lately. Very tortured artist vibe."
I roll my eyes, trying to hide my embarrassment. "I wasn't brooding. I was... contemplating."
"Uh-huh," Reid says, unconvinced. "Well, consider your contemplation over. We're going out."
"What? No, I've got plans?—"
"Staring at your phone isn't a plan, Trevor. Come on, I’ve got a rare night off and Hoopla's is calling ournames."
I hesitate, torn between the desire to wallow and the knowledge that Reid's probably right. "Fine," I concede. "But I'm not staying out late."
"That's the spirit!" Reid claps me on the back. "Now, text your girl so she doesn't think you've fallen into an engine or something."
Sighing, I pick up my phone and type out a quick message to Brooke.
Me: Was about to call, but I've been kidnapped for boys' night at Hoopla's. Save me?
Her reply comes almost instantly.
Brooke: From boys' night or from yourself?
I can't help but grin.
Me: Both? Though I'd hate to deprive you of my chivalrous side.
Brooke: Wouldn't dream of it. Have fun, Sir Trevor. Try not to slay too many dragons.
I pocket my phone, feeling lighter already. "Alright, Reid," I say, grabbing my stuff. "Let me grab a quick shower and then let's see what kind of trouble we can get into."
The familiar clack of billiard balls echoes through Hoopla's as I line up my shot. The warm glow of the overhead lamps casts a golden hue over the green felt.
"You gonna take that shot sometime this century?" Reid teases, leaning on his cue stick.
I chuckle, shaking my head. "Just trying to psych you out, man." I sink the ball with a satisfying thunk, but my mind's not really on the game and my friend knows it.
"Alright, spill it," Reid says, eyeing me over his beer. "You've got that look again."
"What look?"
"The 'I'm-trying-to-solve-a-medical-mystery-but-it's-actually-about-a-girl' look."
I groan, running a hand through my hair. "Is it that obvious?"
Reid grins. "Only to someone who's known you forever. So, what's going on with you and this girl Brooke? You in love with her or something?"
