Page 8 of A Wrench in the Plan
“Where is this all going? For me, I mean. It’s not like I need it to get a job. The club has plenty of jobs that I’m qualified for already.”
That was true. Evan had been working at the bar, and with that job unavailable, LT had given him a job in the mechanic shop’s lobby. The club had a lot of businesses, and I was sure there were more that he could do, even if they required a little training, which the brothers could take him through.
“Do you really want to tend bar for the rest of your life? Or be stuck with the office work for the garage?” There was nothing bitter in my tone. If he was happy doing those things, then he was right, there was no need to keep taking classes if it made him miserable.
“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “I kinda like working at the bar. It’s loud and crazy, but it’s fun. I want to go back after they build the new one. Even if I don’t make the cut and get my patch, I’d still like to stick around.”
“You’ll get it,” I assured him as I jerked him like I was trying to shake the doubt out of him. “You’re loyal, honest, and hardworking. Those are three important qualities to the club. Plus, you know how to keep your lips sealed.” I shot him a look out of the corner of my eye. “And I should know. I’m your best friend and you don’t tell meanythingthat goes on with the club.”
“Sometimes I wish I could.” He huffed out a breath as we crossed the street to the coffee shop. “I hate that I have to keep things from you.”
“I get it,” I said, breaking away from him to open the door. He slid inside when I gestured for him to go, shaking his head at me. “Besides, I don’t think I want to know. I’m happy being in the dark. I have a huge family that will go to extreme lengths to protect me, and while it is exasperating, like, ninety-eight percent of the time, it also makes me realize how lucky I am. That’s all I need.”
We headed in opposite directions, Evan going to the counter to order our drinks, while I grabbed us a table.
“Listen,” I said as he carefully placed my ice caramel latte in front of me— knowing that I had been in a caramel mood for, like, the last month— and took the seat across from me. “If you don’t feel like college is for you, then you should stop. There’s no sense in wasting time and money, right?”
“Exactly.” He nodded pensively.
“I’ll miss hanging out with you between classes,” I told him, feeling a little sad.
He rolled his eyes at me.
“We’ll still see each other all the time, I’m sure. And if we really start to feel separation anxiety, I can just come up here and meet you for coffee.”
“I’ll accept that,” I said with a smile.
“Besides, I’ll probably be coming with you for a bit anyway even if I do quit.” He added a forced laugh.
“It’s not quitting,” I said, ignoring the first part since I didn’t want to make it any harder on him. “It’s… realizing that you tried but there’s something better out there for you.”
We were quiet for a long moment. I could tell he had a lot on his mind, and I hated seeing him looking so tortured but trying his best to hide it. It made me very curious about what had happened, even if I’d said I didn’t want to know.
“How bad was it while I wasaway?” he asked, eyes going sad.
I knew exactly what he was asking, so I didn’t even bother trying to skirt around it.
More importantly, who he was asking about.
The subject of Chry was both bitter and sweet for me.
I was so in love with Chry.
It was no secret. Not really.Mosteveryone knew it, though I had gotten better at pushing those feelings to the side since Evan came into our lives. Some chose to not say anything about it. Others pointed it out not-too-subtly quite often.
Chry had no idea. He could sometimes be oblivious to the most blatant things, and the fact that I was in love with him was one of those things. I didn’t hang off of him constantly or tell him how I felt about him, but apparently, I hadn’t hidden it well when I was younger. Chry was… Chry. He saw what he wanted to see, I guessed, and what he didn’t understand, he tended to brush off. Like with his best friend, Sidekick, and his sister, Sparrow. Those two had been dancing around each other forever, and we all saw it. I was just glad they had gotten over it and were now together. The way it should be. Seriously, those two were perfect for each other. And though Chry had been clueless for a long time, it was nice to see him help Sidekick and Sparrow get their mess straight. He was happy for them, even if it was still kind of new.
I was pretty sure that it would never turn out that way for Chry and me, though. He, whether he was aware of it or not, had deep feelings for my bestie, Evan. I loved Evan, so I couldn’t even hate the two of them together. They weren’t technically together, but it was clear they had some sort of relationship beyond being just friends. I knew they were sleeping together. Evan spent more nights in Chry’s bed than he did in his own.
“He was a wreck,” I whispered, remembering how neither Travis nor I could pull Chry out of his funk. “We tried everything. Sidekick even—” I stop short, not sure if I should tell him.
“What?” His eyes went big as he leaned in closer. “Tell me.”
“I’m probably not supposed to say anything, but Sidekick wants to buy this place that is like two houses together. He’s thinking Sparrow and he will take one side, and Chry will move into the other one. Sidekick even suggested to Chry that he should ask you move in with him.”
“Really?” he sounded shocked. His brow furrowed as he fell back into the chair, body almost deflating. “He hasn’t mentioned anything.”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s happening. I just know Sidekick took him to see the place.”
