Page 41 of Unrest
We were all tired at dinner, stuffing spaghetti into our mouths. I could hardly appreciate how good it was because my body revolted against the idea of not being vertical. I was about to fall asleep in my food like a baby in a high chair.
Remy was the most upright one at the table. I was happy to hear they’d sent her back to the room after breakfast to rest until her shift tonight. And apparently for her job she only had to work nine to midnight. She was told to help where she saw a need during the day, cleaning and whatnot.
For the first time in many days, I felt fully satisfied, like my body finally had the sustenance it needed for normal survival. Gratitude rushed through me. I never wanted to take my meals for granted again. I heaved a sigh and sat back heavily.
Rylen had been zoned out all through dinner. I wondered what he saw in his over-working mind at that moment.
“Hey, Rem,” Matt said. “Want me to walk you to your shift tonight? I can hang out here ‘till you’re done and walk you back.” He pointed to the hangout space with loveseats and chairs. Remy began to smile until Tater cut in, his voice harsh.
“I’m taking her.”
Remy’s eyebrows came together. “You are? Why? So you can make a point of ignoring me more than you already do?”
Matt and the rest of us looked down at our plates or to the side, anywhere but at them.
“Never mind then,” Tater said, standing and grabbing his tray.
Her face pulled with guilt as he strode away. “Nobodyneedsto walk me. It’s safe here.”
“Well,” Matt said with a shrug. “I’ll be out here anyway, so just holler if you need me. My shift is at one o’clock.”
She fiddled with her fork. “Oh-one-hundred?”
He held out his fist, and she bumped it. Tension still filled the table in Tater’s absence. I wanted to follow him and talk to him, but he was already gone. I looked at Rylen, whose lips were pressed in a tight line.
“Do you think he’s okay?” I whispered.
He shook his head. Yeah, dumb question. Negativity practically radiated off him all the time now. Remy scooted closer to me.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said that to him, but it’s frustrating. One minute he’s acting like he cares, and the next minute it’s like he’s a complete stranger and wants nothing to do with me.”
“I know,” I told her. “He just needs time, I guess.” But I wondered if time would even help. It killed me to think Tater might always be like this now, his emotions in upheaval, scared to get too close to Remy, but not wanting anyone else to get close either.
As Mark chatted up Remy, I glanced at Rylen beside me. He was lost in thought again.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“Fine,” he responded robotically. “You?”
“Probably not as interesting as yours,” I said.
His eyes cleared as he looked at me with probing questions, like he wondered what I knew. That look from him sent a stab of nervousness through me. I could only guess he’d learned something today that he couldn’t get off his mind. What the hell was going on in this place? Nervousness rose up again, and I was too afraid to ask, even in quiet confidence. Right now I was in a state of ignorance. I knew once I found out what this big secret was, there would be no going back from it. The logical part of me wanted to knoweverything, but the emotional part wondered how much I could handle.
A blast of weariness made me slump in the seat. I could have closed my eyes, curled up, and slept right there in that noisy room.
“Come on,” Rylen said to me. “I’m heading back.” He cocked his head toward the side of the room with the tunnel, and I nodded gratefully.
“You want to come to the room?” I asked Remy.
She looked up at me with slightly pink cheeks. “I think I’ll just stay here and hang out until my shift. Get to know people and stuff. I don’t really want to go back down that tunnel until I have to.”
“Okay. Night.” She grabbed my dangling pinky with her own and gave it swing before turning back to Matt and Mark.
I gave all the guys a wave and followed Rylen past the common area to the tunnel. My legs were super stiff by the time we got to the hotel. I would have taken some pain meds if I wasn’t restricting the ibuprofen stash to emergencies. I figured one more good night of sleep and I’d be normalish again.
“I want to see if Tater’s in your room,” I said.
Rylen opened his door, and sure enough, Tater was laid back on the bed, his legs dangling from the edge. Rylen spread a hand to welcome me in.
