Page 55 of Galen
When he reached the door at the top of the landing, he released a shaky breath before pushing it open. The window had been replaced, and Castor and I had cleaned up all the shattered glass. The hole in his wall from where he was slammed against it remained, though the smears of blood had been cleaned. It was me who heldhishand tighter right then.
“I’m okay,” Simon whispered, staring at the same wall as me. He swallowed and stepped farther into the room.
Dust particles floated in the air as the sunlight spilling in through the windows hit them. He released my hand and walked over to the island in the kitchen, curling his nose at the dark brown bananas sitting in a bowl in the center.
“That’s why I hate buying fruit. My house is where they go to die.”
I smiled. Even when reliving a traumatic moment, he found ways to lighten the mood. It was one thing I adored about him. His inner light touched the shadows inside me.
We didn’t stay in his loft for long. He packed more clothes, a laptop, and some books into a bag before walking toward the door. He didn’t look back as he left. Once back downstairs, he placed the bag in a small room that had an ancient mini-refrigerator and a table, then returned to the main part of the store.
“I have something for you.” I reached into my back pocket and handed over his phone.
“You trust me now?” Simon asked, taking it. He held down the power button to turn it back on. I had shut it off after texting Kyo that the shop would be closed all week.
“If I didn’t trust you, you’d still be in that mansion.”
A strange expression crossed his face as he checked his phone. He tapped the screen a few times before setting it aside.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Simon…”
“Just a stupid message.” He shook his head and walked out from behind the counter. Sadness rolled off him as he touched an old radio on the shelf. “I went on a date before meeting you that sucked, and I blocked his number afterward. He found me on Facebook and sent me a pissy message.”
“What did he say?” I asked, a snarl in my voice.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.” With a few strides, I was beside him. I grabbed his arm and gently turned him to face me. Tears shone in his eyes. “Goddammit. Tell me.”
“He realized I blocked him. So, he resorted to social media to track me down just to tell me that I was a ‘fucking pig.’ Insulting me makes him feel better, I guess.”
“Give me his name.”
Simon blinked at me. “No. The guy is an asshole, but he doesn’t deserve to have his head ripped off.”
“I just want to talk to him,” I said, anger boiling in my veins. “That’s all.”
“Galen?” Simon patted my chest. “Remember what we said about lying. Apparently we’re both awful at it. Calm down. He’s not worth your time.” He took off his glasses to wipe his eyes. “Not worth my time either. Come on. I could use your help in the storage room.”
I snatched hold of his arm as he went to walk away and spun him back to me. I cupped the side of his neck before bending to kiss him. The sweetest of sounds left him as he returned the kiss, his arms winding around me.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured against his lips. “I want to devour every inch of you.”
“No devouring necessary,” Simon said with a nervous laugh. “I’m not one for cannibalism.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I still have a ways to go, but I’m learning to love my body,” he continued. “Mean words still hurt though. That was exactly his intention too. I was dumb and told him I was a bit insecure, so he used that against me.”
I smoothed my hands down his sides. “You sure you don’t want me to talk to him? I’ll be nice, I promise.”
Simon cut his eyes at me. “Somehow I don’t believe you.”
After reaching the storage room, I helped Simon log the rest of the items that had come from Ravenwood, ones he never had the chance to finish going through.
