Page 67 of Wait With Me
“You’re goddamn right it is!” He clinks his beer with mine and watches me with confusion as I stand. “What are we doing?”
“We’re leaving.”
“Leaving? Leaving to where?”
“We’re celebrating, bro. We have a new future to look forward to, and it’s time we get out of the same old scene. Let’s head down Pearl Street and see what kind of trouble we can get into.”
Sam laughs hard and claps me on the back. “I’m in!”
“Oh, I see a table that just opened up!” Lynsey squeals, rushing off with her Long Island Iced Tea and practically falling over the top of a stainless steel table before the couple currently occupying it have even grabbed their jackets to leave.
I cringe at the scene and look around to see how many people are looking. Not too many. Could be worse. But I appreciate Lynsey’s efforts because tables are tough to grab at West End Tavern. It’s a bar in Boulder with three levels of outdoor seating, and their rooftop patio is always packed in the summertime. It has a stunning view of the mountains, and it’s one of those places that’s always noisy, so you feel like you’re a part of something.
I head over with a sheepish look on my face and mouth, “Sorry,” to the couple who’s backing away slowly. Lynsey finally slides down off the tabletop and into a chair.
“Okay, so finish where you left off,” she says as I take a seat opposite her.
“Where did I leave off?” I ask, sipping on a glass of wine because beer won’t cut it after the week I’ve had.
“Well, Dryston is back…” she begins, repeating my earlier story.
I bark out a laugh. “Yeah, well, that’s pretty much all I know. I got a text from him a couple of days ago while I was at the supermarket that said in all caps, WHERE IS MY SHIT. And he put a period instead of a question mark…idiot.”
“Clearly he’s been back to the house then,” Lynsey says, brown eyes wide and worried.
I shrug. “I guess so. He said he’s been staying with his friend, Mitchell.”
She shakes her head, little wisps of her brown hair falling out of the messy bun on top of her head. “That’s eerie.”
“Super eerie,” I agree, grabbing my own hair and pulling it off to one side to cool my neck down. “Dryston wasn’t supposed to come back for another month. I thought I had time to break it to him that I moved all his stuff into a storage unit.”Translation: I thought I had time to tell Miles the truth about my roommate.
“So what did you say?” Lynsey asks, taking another drink of her Long Island.
“I told him where the pod was and that I could have it delivered wherever he intended on living because now that he was back in town, I was going to change the locks.”
Her eyes alight with excitement. “Oh my God, you didn’t!”
I nod. “I did. Fuck him. He comes sneaking back into town without even an announcement, thinking he can just stride into my house like he’s been paying rent all summer? That’s bullshit because he most certainly hasn’t been sending me checks. I’ll pay him the deposit we split on the townhouse if that’s what it takes. I’m not moving!”
“Good for you!” Lynsey exclaims, slapping the table in excitement. “You’re finally taking a stand.”
“Damn right, I am,” I reply with a smile and take a drink of my wine. “So talk to me about you. Where have you been the last few days? I’ve stopped by and you’re never home.”
Lynsey’s face flushes a crimson color at my sudden change of subject. Her eyes are practically twinkling in the swooped Edison bulbs overhead. “You’re going to be so proud.”
“Tell me.”
She sighs heavily. “Well, my thesis was going horribly, so I decided to go back to the hospital cafeteria to see if I could have a Tire Depot moment.”
My smile is enormous. “And did you?” I nearly squeal.
“Yes,” she squeals back and covers her face like the monkey emoji.
“Why are you acting embarrassed? That’s awesome!”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, gosh, I eat there every day now, and I feel like the cafeteria people think I’m there for some really tragic reason. They normally scream ‘next in line’ when it’s your turn to pay, but whenever they see me, they say ‘Come on up, sweetheart.’ It’s so weirdly obvious. I think people are starting to notice.”
I scoff, “Like who? Other patients’ families that are all temporary? They’ll be gone in a week.”
