Page 83 of Forced Proximity
I wouldn’t have been able to leave even if I wanted to.
The only reason Finnian was able to leave was that he had two cars. One of those cars being parked in a side garage to the left of the driveway.
“This is my old car,” he said. “Might do better in your neighborhood after dark anyway.”
The man had a sense of humor, that was for sure.
Honestly, the one he led me to and opened the door of for me was more likely to turn heads than his sparkly truck.
I watched him unlock the car with the key and shook my head. “This is a nineties model Camaro that looks pristine. I wouldn’t call this old.”
I also wouldn’t call it inconspicuous.
“Ninety-one.” He held open my door for me and gestured for me to get in. “It was the first car I bought for myself. I had all the girls drooling over this car when I was in high school.”
I shook my head, but I couldn’t contain the smile from breaking out over my face. “I’ll bet you had all the girls in this car, too.”
“There might’ve been one or two,” he admitted as he waited for me to drop into the seat before closing the door. He rounded the hood and opened his own door before dropping down inside. “It has a lot of sentimental value. My grandfather and I fixed it up before he got a little too squirrelly in the head and started refusing to leave his house.”
“You’re lucky to have that,” I said softly. “My parents were great, but let’s just say they’re not mechanically inclined.” I paused. “My brother was, though.”
He looked over at me. “You don’t talk about him much.”
That’s because it hurt so fucking bad.
The idea of him being in prison, with me unable to see the bright, blue-eyed boy that was my protector when I needed one, really fucking hurt.
“My brother is the icing to my cake. The cheese to my macaroni.” I smiled. “Other than my best friend that passed away, he was it. We were two peas in a pod because it was us against the world. My parents were always dealing with Daniella. They tried not to focus solely on her, but shit, she needed it. And Romeo and I just bonded over our lack of parental concern.”
“He sounds like a great brother to have,” he said.
Speaking of…
“I have to go see him tomorrow.” I looked over at Finnian. “Visiting day is once a month, and my parents can’t go.”
He tilted his head but didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Why?”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “He doesn’t want to see them. He knows it hurts them to see him like that, so he added them to his refusal list. The only person he’ll see is me.”
“Not your sister?”
I scoffed. “My sister is a joke. Honestly, my whole family is fucked up, but my sister truly takes the cake. She obsesses over her boyfriends to the point of paranoia. Literally, everyone and everything can die all around her, and she wouldn’t even notice. That’s why I live here…”
I trailed off after we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment and I saw a familiar black sedan parked in my spot.
I groaned, letting my head fall back against the headrest.
“What?” he asked, scanning the parking lot.
“My sister,” I grumbled. “She’s here.”
His eyes took in my complex and he said, “Do you need to go up there?”
“No,” I admitted. “I’d rather go buy a dress at Target than go in there.”
He held out his hand and said, “Give me your keys. I’ll pack you a bag.”
I handed them over.
