Page 91 of Then Came You

But the thing I miss most is the cadence of her heart when she’s lying in my arms.

“Beer?” Alex offers.

I shake my head. “Nah.” Massaging the kink in my neck. I wonder if I should just pop over to Tori’s instead of calling and surprising Row.

“What’s on your mind, brother?” Alex cracks his beer open and takes a swig.

“I miss Row,” I confess.

“So just call her.” He shrugs.

“It’s not the same. I just need her close to me.”

“You really love her, don’t you?”

“It’s unbelievable. I never want to know a life without her. She’s everything I want and need.”

I shift my neck to look at Alex. “Should I go see her?”

“Why not?”

“I was an asshole to her on Saturday.”

“You were a dick,” he laughs, throwing one of Haven’s unicorn pillows at me. Ducking, I laugh. “But you’ve spoken to her since and she seems fine, right?”

“I guess. She understands why I needed the last few days, but still, her texts have been a lot less than what we’re used to.”

“You’re overthinking it, man, just go see her.”

“Okay. Yeah,” I say, suddenly pumped up. “She should still be at the salon.”

Getting up from the couch, I scan the room for my phone, wallet, and keys.

Alex blocks my path with his hand on my chest. “Woah, steady on, mate.” He steps back, wrinkling his nose.

“What?”

“You smell like shit. Take a shower, and then I’ll drive you. I need a haircut.”

I sniff my hoodie and realise it’s the same stench you inhale when you enter the men’s locker room at the gym. I’m sure my breath is no better, having lived on takeout for the past few days, and I can feel a furry, fuzzy feeling on my tongue and gums, which makes me almost wretch at how putrid it is.

Less than half an hour later, we’re on our way. We conveniently find a spot in front of the shop, and I’m all but sprinting to the front door. It’s just about closing time, but she should still be here. As I pull the handle, it doesn’t budge. It’s locked. I pound my fist on the glass to see if anyone can hear me. She must be in the back.

“Just call her.” Alex bounces on the spot agitatedly. He’s busting to go to the bathroom after I vetoed him from taking a leak around the corner. The last thing we need is another scandal, or worse, the cops showing up and arresting him for public urination and indecent exposure.

Taking out my phone, I fire off a quick text asking where she is. We wait another few minutes, but there’s no response.

“How about we go find a bathroom, and wait until she texts?” Alex suggests, already looking around the street for the nearest cafe.

My shoulders slump at prolonging our reunion, but there’s not much I can do until she responds or opens the door. As we turn to leave, I see Row’s boss, Trish, coming out of the shadows. She looks weary the closer she gets.

I peer through the glass door, watching as she jangles her keys to find the right one. Her eyes are red and swollen as if she’s been crying. Finally, she inserts the brass key, twisting it, which pulls the handle down to open the door.

She looks nervous when she comes face to face with me. “Blade, what are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for Row? Isn’t she working tonight?” Looking behind her into the shadowed store, I see no signs of movement, meaning she’s here alone. Trish’s breath hitches, and I hear her physically gulp. She is gripping the door as if at any moment it could come off its hinges. She looks guilty, but more than that she looks gutted. Something is wrong. Her pause goes on forever as she bows her head.

“Tori died a few days ago.”

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