Page 924 of One More Kiss

Daniel

I feltlike I’d been holed up in my room for weeks again, but it had only been two days. I finally emerged when I knew Nate wasn’t there. He was irritating without my issues, but when I was in a funk, he made me straight up homicidal. Luca was more chill. He had shaggy blond hair and had the whole broody thing going on. The ladies flocked to him, but he only had eyes for Addison. He’d been in love with her since freshman year of high school.

They were standing in the kitchen together, and they both looked up at me as I walked in.

“Well, look who decided to come out of the cave,” Luca joked.

Addison smiled at me. “Hey, Daniel.” She was cute, tall, and thin with a mess of curly blond hair. She had an edge to her, and I found it funny that she was a cheerleader because she rode a Harley and had a lip piercing.

I nodded at them. “Hey.”

“How you doin’ man?” Luca’s eyes were filled with concern.

It was the first time I’d talked to him—or anyone—since that day at the bar, and I was feeling jet-lagged and emotionally hung over.

I simply nodded one time. The thing about Luca was he had been there when my dad had died, actually, when I’d found him. He’d given me a ride. Not because I wanted him to, but because he caught me on my way out the door. If anyone knew my struggle, it was him. And he only knew the outer layer, until now that was.

I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. “I need a favor.”

A few minutes later, Luca and I were in his truck. Addison had stayed behind, knowing we needed some guy time, and for that, I was thankful.

“Which doctor’s office?”

I opened my phone to double-check the address. “Main Family Clinic off Broadway.”

I’d called the office, and after some back and forth, they’d said they might be able to refill my meds without going through all the annual motions as long as the doctor could speak with me for a little first. I was desperate, and it seemed fair, so I had agreed.

Luca turned south on State Road 7. “You know, you could have said something, brother. I mean, I get not telling Nate, seeing as how he’s a major dick half the time and all….”

I looked over at him, feeling a little bad that I hadn’t told him what I’d been dealing with. “Yeah, he is. And I know. I just don’t like…dragging people around through my mud with me.”

“It’s not mud, Danny.” Luca glanced back and forth between me and the road. “It’s life.”

“Yeah, well, I want a different life.” I chuckled, trying to play it off.

He let out a sigh. “Did it start when your dad—”

“No,” I cut him off. I wasn’t trying to be a dick. But I really didn’t want to do this. Not unmedicated anyway. “I’ve had…issues…for a long time.”

“Just like…mood swings or anger or…” I knew he was trying.

“All of it. Anxiety. Paranoia. It’s why I lock myself in my room. It’s why I went to that group. It’s why I need the damn meds.”

He nodded empathetically. “I wish you’d told me, man. I would have helped.”

“You can’t,” I shot back at him.

“I could have tried.” He had always been good at deflecting my bullets when I shot them his way. It was probably why we’d been friends for so long. He handled me well.

“No one can fix this,” I snapped. “Just like no one could fix my dad. I. Am. Him.” I enunciated every word of the last part.

Luca shook his head but was quiet for a moment. “What about her?”

I looked up at him.

“What was her name? Tate?”

Just the mention of her name ripped into my composure. I looked out the window, my eyes hot with the threat of tears.

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