Page 94 of Resurrection
"Nah, thanks." I push away from the bar and stumble outside, the cool night air hitting me like a splash of ice water. I crash into a flower bed in the parking lot and settle of the edge of the brick garden wall. It’s quieter out here, but not by much. The sounds still drift through the doors, muffled by distance and regret.
I take out my phone, scrolling through my contacts. Naomi’s name jumps out at me, taunting like she knows I won’t call. I close my eyes, my thumb hovering over it, then swipe to Leif instead.
It rings, each buzz stretching longer than the one before. I’m ready to hang up when his voice breaks in, too cheerful for what I’m about to say.
"Ty! You ready to give me the good news?"
"I need more time," I slur, my words slopping out messier than I’d planned.
"I said I'll give you a couple of days."
"No, I need more than a couple of days."
"Is that you or the whiskey talking?"
"Little of both." I try to laugh, but it comes out like a cough.
"Get your shit together, Ty. I can’t hold them off for months."
"Few more days. Promise." The desperation leaks through. I sound pathetic, even to myself.
Leif sighs, which tells me he’s about as fed up with me as I am with him. "Alright. But make a decision by the end of the week."
"I will," I insist. "Thanks, Leif."
He doesn’t answer. He simply hangs up.
I drop my head into my hands, feeling the weight of it all pressing down. If I screw this up, there’s no one to blame but myself. If I lose the gig, I lose my shot at doing what I love most. If I lose Naomi, I lose more than I did the first time. But if I can’t pull it together, I’ll lose both.
I close my eyes and try not to think.
24NAOMI
The night airbrushing against my face is a welcome change from the heat of the kitchen.
I'm halfway through the casino parking lot, thinking of a hot bath and my feet up on the couch, when I spot Ty. Immediately, everything that happened between us last night rushes to the forefront of my mind. All day today, I’ve been trying to fool myself with that same lie I told him.
It’s just physical.
Ty’s perched on the edge of the garden wall surrounding the flower bed. He's like a gargoyle, swaying and unsteady. He's clearly drunk. Even his hair is intoxicated, the way it's hanging over his eyes. Damn it. The last thing I need right now is to deal with a wasted ex-boyfriend.
Nope.
Not doing this tonight, I tell myself, determined to leave. But instead, I halt. Or rather my feet halt without checking with my brain.
I stand there, stupidly caught in the neon haze of the building, and then those same feet that are supposed to be marching me to my car turn me around and carry me toward him.
My body is in fact a traitor.
"Ty? Is that you?" I call out as I approach.
When I get closer, he blinks up at me with bleary eyes, and I catch a whiff of alcohol.
"Are you stalking me?" I ask.
"Maybe." He grins up at me, a sight to behold. His clothes look like theyjust came out of the laundry, and the way he's swaying makes it clear he's too drunk to even sit up straight.
"Ty," I say, my voice a mix of exasperation and that other thing I don't want to name. "What the hell are you doing out here?"
