Page 70 of Free
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
D shoved several towels in a duffle bag before grabbing his shirt off the bed and slipping it over his head just as his phone rang. He glanced down, frowning at the unknown phone number. The phone was secure, and only team members had the number. Worried it was Rani or Jessica calling from a number he didn't know, he picked it up. "Hello?"
"I miss you!" Faith's voice was like music to his ears.
"Faith! I miss you too! How are you?" He sat down on the bed, overwhelmed with emotion at hearing her voice for the first time since he'd left California. She shouldn't be calling him, but at the moment, he didn't care. Hearing her was like a lifeline to a life he missed more than he could admit.
"I'm good. I finally got my driver's license, but Dad doesn't let me drive too much." She sounded so excited.
"That's fantastic!" He fought a wave of guilt that he hadn't been there. He had been teaching her to drive, taking her to different unpopulated areas to let her practice. He was supposed to be part of all this. "Were you nervous?" He needed to keep his mind on her and not his own regrets.
"I was so scared. I thought for sure I'd fail the test. Lisa and I studied together, then Beau and Dad took us both to get our licenses together."
"Did Lisa get hers?"
"She did. Now we can drive to see each other instead of waiting for our Dads to take us. I drove to school yesterday, but that was the first time. Xander says after I have more experience, we'll think about getting me a car." Faith's excitement was contagious.
D grinned. "Don't let them force you into getting something you don't like. You need something safe, but make them get you something cool. A car you really like." His heart ached that he couldn't be there to share all this with her. "You doing good in school?"
"Yeah, math is hard, but Dad's helping me with that. My jump team is going to the state championships again too."
He closed his eyes. "I wish I could be there to see it. Have Xander record it so he can send it to me, okay?"
"I wish you could be here too. I miss you so much. Do you like it where you are?" she asked.
"It's okay. The place is nice, but I'd rather be there with you. I miss you guys so much. I think about you all the time and wonder what you're doing." He glanced up as Jeremy walked into the room. He gave him a smile as he held up his finger, letting him know he'd be a few minutes.
Jeremy nodded, grabbed his shoes from beside the bed, and slipped out of the room again, leaving him alone.
"I kept asking to call you, but Bryon wouldn't give us your number. Finally, last night, he gave it to Xander, but it was too late to call then. Have you made new friends?" she asked.
"I have made a couple. In fact, I've met someone and I'm actually dating." He smiled, thinking about Jeremy.
"You're dating someone?" Faith gasped. "You don't date."
"I know, but I am now. He had to leave his home the same way I did."
"You're really dating him? Like in a relationship?" She didn't sound as if she believed him.
"Who's dating?"
He heard Xander in the background and it was like he was being stabbed in the heart. Fuck, he missed his best friend. More than anything, he hated being away from Xander. Even though he was making a life for himself in Colorado, part of him was missing without Xander around all the time. So many times he'd fought to hold back the pain and anger at them having to be apart.
"Dyson's dating," Faith told Xander.
"Give me the phone," Xander told her. "Dys, you there?"
D closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "Hey, Xan." Just hearing his best friend made him miss him even more. "Fuck, I miss being there." He fisted the blanket he was sitting on, angry and frustrated at the turn his life had made. "I should be there."
"You should. It's not the same without you, man. How are you?" Xander's voice was filled with the same emotion.
"Good. Everything is slowly coming together. I'm not sure how much you've been told. Is your line secure?" He didn't really need to ask. He was sure that Xander would make sure they were all safe.
"It is. Bry's kept us up to date. He says you've got a few members and have started actively hunting. You've got a good team? You trust them?" Xander asked.
"They're good, but they aren't you guys. Fuck, I miss you guys. It's just not the same. I hate that all this shit happened." He missed his old life, missed his friends. "I'm making it work here, but know I'd come back in a second if I could."
"I know you would. Matt, Faith, and I will be coming to visit you in a few months. I promised Bry that I'd wait a bit longer. Things have cooled off a lot here, but he thinks the more time we give it, the better it will be." Xander sighed. "So many fucking times I went to pick up the phone and call you, then remembered you weren't here."
