Page 19 of Stitch
“He’s leaving?”
She tilted a shoulder. “He thinks he is.”
The way she said that suggested that others might have different ideas about his departure. Wow, I wanted to know more.
“Is he… is he with anyone?”
Eleven
We walked back tothe clubhouse together, and I knew he wanted to ask, but he was trying to honour my privacy or some shit, so eventually I groaned.
“Go on, start with the incessant questioning, brother, I know you want to.”
Reacher laughed, stopping at the side of the road to eye the local coffee shop. He opened the door and took a deep breath in through his nose, and closed it again, walking once more.
“You’re a twisted bastard, aren’t you? Torturing yourself like that. Decaf tastes just the damn same and you know it.”
Reacher glared at me. “Don’t give me that shit, it tastes like despair.”
I could tell him about despair, but I could tell he was trying.
“So?”
He wasn’t looking at me as he answered.
“I’m glad you went, man, thanks. All I wanna know is if it helped at all, to have someone outside of the club to talk to.”
“She’s not though, is she? Not really. Not that I think she’d tell Ice, but I still have to risk seeing her daily at the club, knowing that she knows how fucked up I am. What scares me. What wakes me in the night.”
He slowed down at the curb, shooting me a look.
“Nightmares?”
“Try being in my position and see if you get them. Actually, fuck me, that’s an awful thing to say. Don’t ever be in my position please. And yeah, she’s nice.Listens well, but doesn’t judge. Time will tell, but if she got Ice to talk to her, maybe she’s a miracle worker after all, right?”
“Think it helps that he’s crazy about her, but yeah, she’s helped me too, so I think it’s worth trying. So uh…”
Here we go. Pushing for details. Wanting to know if I told her just how much I’ve given up on life.
“Cammy seems nice.”
“Fuck you, man. And it’s Camille.”
He smirked as he pounded his fist on the gate.
“Why don’t you just let yourself in, dickhead?”
He grinned as the prospect pulled it open for us.
“Wouldn’t want to deprive them of their job, would I?”
“Why did you ask about her, anyway?” He shouldn’t know, I mean, nobody knew we’d almost hooked up, right?
He stopped, dragging me to stop with him.
“You do remember going all caveman-like in there, right? You think I didn’t know why you dragged me away from her? She’s nice, and you know, convenient.”
The fuck? I shoved him away from me.
