AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No,” Ravi said and signed at the same time. “I get it. You should go. But think about what I said, okay?”
Martinez looked at Ravi, then at Percy before signing, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing’ was all Percy could offer in sign.
Martinez looked like he didn’t believe him, but since he had Percy’s contact, he let him go.
Percy didn’t wait for Khai to return from his long FaceTime. He could feel deep in his chest that Wren was close, and even if it was a giant misunderstanding that could be worked out, Percy wasn’t sure he could let himself be vulnerable again. His ex had shattered him, and just when he was putting himself together again, Wren had come along.
Percy wasn’t sure he was strong enough to survive breaking all over again.
Percy didn’t sleep much that night. Half his thoughts were occupied by Wren and what Wren thought he’d seen. The other half were occupied with Ravi because as much as the man played off that he was fine, Percy didn’t think he was. He wished he’d gotten his number just to check in after.
The only thing he knew was where Ravi worked and where he went to school, and that made him sound like a stalker.
Percy’s resolve to stay away lasted until noon when he cracked, and he found himself holding his breath and walking into BrewBiz. There was a steady queue at the front and several customers at tables, but Percy didn’t see Ravi or Wren behind the counter. Instead, Luke was smiling patiently at the woman ordering in slow ASL, and a dark-haired woman was behind Luke, hustling at the coffee bar.
Percy thought about running back out, but Luke caught his eye and gave him a look that pinned him to the spot. He continued queuing until he got to the front, and then Luke reached for him and squeezed his hands before letting him go.
‘Thank you,’ he signed with both hands. Percy started to shake his head, but Luke made a distressed noise and signed again, ‘Thank you.’ Percy knew the story of last night had gotten around.
‘Where is Ravi?’ He spelled the guy’s name very slowly.
Luke’s brows shot up, but he shrugged. ‘School. Campus. Work-Bookstore-Coffee-Shop.’
Percy nodded and took a step back. ‘Thank you.’ He started to turn, but Luke made a noise to get his attention and waved his hand.
‘Wait. Food? Coffee?’
Percy managed a smile, but his appetite was nonexistent. ‘I want to see Ravi.’
Luke’s shoulders deflated. ‘See you tomorrow?’
‘Yes,’ Percy said. ‘Class.’ This time, no one stopped him as he hurried out and got into his car. He found parking in the public lot and grimaced at the cost for the short time he was going to be there, but if it eased his conscience a little, it would be worth it.
He threw the printed pass on his dash, then followed the signs that led him to the campus bookstore. It looked a lot like a department store. Nothing like the little shop he’d attended years and years ago. Of course, he didn’t overpay for books the way Americans did, so he supposed having it look like a posh Wilko took some of the sting out of the thousands young kids had to pay for textbooks.
He paused and almost laughed when he saw there was a children’s section full of brightly colored stuffed animals, toys, and shelves with picture and coloring books. Was that a thing now? Did people come here to just shop?
He reached out and grabbed a round, very soft stuffed unicorn and thought about Lila. She’d seemed relatively unaffected about the night before, and when he’d told his sister what happened, she just looked resigned, like she’d already been prepped for something like this. It made him want to put his fist through the wall.
Or maybe find a way to become a politician and enact actual change so people like Lila could grow up without fear.
He moved to set the stuffed animal down when a voice behind him spoke. “Take it. I owe you.”
Percy spun and saw Ravi standing there with a sheepish smile on his face. Percy hadn’t realized the size of him the night before—very tall, very broad, with dark brown skin and short, pitch-black hair. He and Percy were damn near the same height, but it was obvious Ravi spent a lot of his free time in the gym, if his biceps were anything to go by. The night before, he’d seemed so small, but that had everything to do with the way he’d been curled into himself.
Now, he looked better—at least, more confident and less afraid, and that eased some of Percy’s tension.
He cleared his throat when he realized he’d been staring too long. “I have quite enough of these at home, thanks.”
Ravi rolled his eyes. “For your…daughter?”
“Niece,” Percy corrected quickly before a rumor could start.
Ravi bit his lip and nodded. “Right,” he said and signed at the same time. “I knew that. How is she? That must have freaked her out last night. Khai told me you two were at the planetarium together.”
Percy shrugged. “I don’t think she totally understood what was going on.”
