Page 74 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
“Ishe at least taking care of you?”
Finally hearing my mom’s voice after two weeks of sporadic text messages is such a relief, even if disappointment and sadness are dripping from every word.
“Yeah, Mom. Torren is great. I promise. You’d like him.”
“You know I just want you to be happy. But I worry. I don’t want you to end up like me.”
“Torren isn’t like Dad, Mom. It’s not going to be like that.”
“I don’t like that he’s paying our bills.”
I told her it’s to make up for my being gone. Agift. She doesn’t like feeling like we’re indebted to him now. It’s killing me to lie to her, but I’m doing my best to sell it.It’s for her, I tell myself.It’s for the best.
“I know.”
My mom sighs, so I change the subject. “I had a lot of fun in Vegas. We stayed in this really fancy hotel on the top floor. Private balconies and a rooftop terrace and everything. You’d have loved it. And Torren says the hotel in Arlington has a private pool just for us.”
“I’m glad you’re having fun.”
“I am. And I’ll be back before you know it. How’s Glory’s dog? Has he eaten any more of my shoes?”
My mom takes the bait and moves on to a new topic, and luckily, she doesn’t bring up Torren or my skipping off to tour the country with aboy I’ve just met again. It’s a nice conversation, and by the time I hang up, I’m feeling slightly less slimy about being a big, fat, stinking liar.
According to the GPS on my phone, we’re almost to Arlington, and I cannot wait to be off this bus. This has been the longest stretch of time I’ve been on here and admittedly I’m going a little stir-crazy. Since we left Vegas yesterday, I’ve slept. I’ve read. I’ve eaten dinner and breakfast. I’ve read some more. I’ve played video games with Mabel. I’ve listened to Sav write a song, and then was sworn to secrecy about the song. (It’s good. Shocker.)
I don’t even remember how I handled being carted around by the guys in Pike’s beat-up old van. I even have my own room on this bus and I’m still ready to jump out of my skin. At least my shared bedroom in my tiny apartment doesn’t have wheels underneath it. By the time we’re pulling into the hotel parking lot, I’m ready to sprint down the stairs just to feel stable, unmoving ground under my feet.
My phone buzzes with a text before we’re in a parking spot, and I’m surprised to see it’s Jonah.
Jonah
Lunch?
I know a place.
My stomach grumbles. I’ve only had a breakfast sandwich since waking up this morning, and eating food on solid ground is definitely appealing. So appealing that the idea of lunch with Jonah and Torren makes me less nervous than it probably would if I weren’t approaching hangry territory.
According to the recent bout of articles, Operation Fake Dating seems to be working, and I haven’t heard anything more about Sav’s stalker. Being seen with the guys can only help the story along. I text him back just before following Sav and Mabel off the bus.
Me
Sounds good.
The moment my feet hit the ground, a tattooed arm is slung around my shoulder, and it’s no less surprising than it was the first time.
“Hey.” I shove my phone in my pocket. “What’s up?”
“Lunch.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
Jonah steers me out of the path toward the hotel doors as Sav and Mabel disappear through them.
“They’re not coming?”
“Nah. Savvy is going to use the high-speed WiFi to have video chat sex with her boyfriend, and Mabel is going to sleep.”
