AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I know, I know. Just order me something,’ she says, waving off my explanation. ‘I’m trying not to take my life too seriously for the next four hours. That is how long this date is going to last, right?’
‘More like three hours and forty-nine minutes, but who’s keeping track?’
‘Good, cause I have a feeling it’s going to be a real tear-jerker. Nice to get a break from those every now and again.’
‘Speaking of tear-jerkers, do you want to finish reading the book tomorrow before the flight?’
‘The flight?’ I open my mouth to remind her, but she cuts me off. ‘Oh, my God! I forgot to tell you. When you let me use your phone to call the airline, they told me our flight might get pushed again. They said a lot of the flights from Newark were being rerouted through Logan and to make sure to check the status of the flight online before we head to the airport. She said it should be updated within twenty-four hours before takeoff.’
I let go of her hand and quickly pull my phone out of my back pocket. Sure enough, the flight has been pushed back two more days to 9:15 a.m. on January eighth. Shit!
‘What’s wrong?’ Mikki asks, seeing the disappointment I’m unable to hide.
‘Nothing. I just have to see if I can reschedule the appointment with Kane.’
‘You can’t reschedule. They’ll think you’re one of those spoiled rich boys who thinks everyone should do whatever they want.’
‘I have no choice.’
She shakes her head in mock disgust. ‘If you’re so rich, why don’t you just charter a plane to get there?’
I sigh as I tuck my phone into my pocket. ‘Because I don’t want to.’
‘Why? Are you one of those rich boys who likes to purposely make his life difficult just to spite his parents?’
Fuck. She hasn’t even had a drink and she’s already taking this conversation into uncomfortable territory.
‘Look. I didn’t charter a plane because I wanted to have some coffee with you after the flight was canceled. Then . . . well, as I’m sure you’re aware, things got complicated.’
‘Wait a minute.’ Her face lights up and her eyes widen. If we were cartoons, there’d be a light bulb flashing over her head. ‘You can charter a plane and you don’t need a plane ticket for that . . . Can you take me to L.A.?’
‘No.’
‘Why?’
The waitress arrives to take our order and deliver our drinks, but Mikki doesn’t acknowledge the waitress or the beer in front of her. Her eyes are locked on mine awaiting my answer. I spout off the food order then take a long swig of beer, trying to give myself time to think of any response other than, Because I don’t want to help you kill yourself.
‘I can’t charter a plane to L.A. because my dad has people who monitor my spending. Chartering a plane will raise a red flag. He’ll ask me what the trip was for, and I don’t want him to know anything about this trip to L.A.’ She lowers her head, looking so disappointed. ‘I’ll be honest. I’m sorry that you’re disappointed, but I’m not sorry that I can’t help you with this. And, if I’m being brutally honest, I think you’d be even more disappointed if I agreed to help you.’
She leans forward and sighs as she rests her cheek on the heel of her hand, looking totally bummed for a moment, then it’s gone.
She sits up straight and smiles. ‘Can I sit with you on that side?’
‘Don’t get up. I’ll come to your side.’
‘No, no. Stay. I want to go to your side.’
She slides off the stool and rounds the long table to make her way to me. There’s a spring in her step that I don’t think I’ve seen at all since the day we ran into each other in Terminal B.
She eagerly climbs onto the stool next to mine and leans over to whisper in my ear. ‘Don’t look now, but that old guy next to you thinks I’m crazy. He kept shooting me nasty looks and I was getting tired of looking at his sausage face.’
I turn my face to her so I can kiss her. Otherwise, I might clock the guy on my other side. Mikki’s lips are soft and they still taste a little like the fruit plate she had for a light lunch at the hotel. When I pull away from her, she’s clutching the front of my hoodie and staring into my eyes.
‘You . . . you’re going to give me a short circuit.’
I smile at the compliment and kiss her nose. ‘Drink your beer.’
The food and beer Crush ordered for me at Toro was better than any of the food we’ve had at the hotel, but I won’t admit to this. Not even after I’ve had another two beers and one Mamacita: a cocktail that tastes like a margarita mixed with beer. I have a pretty high tolerance for alcohol, but I think these IPAs Crush ordered for us must have more alcohol than tap beer; or maybe it’s the fact that I’ve hardly had anything to drink since we went to Wally’s two days ago. Or it could be that these tiny plates of food are not doing enough to slow the absorption of alcohol into my bloodstream. Whatever it is, I’m feeling pretty tipsy after two hours and four drinks at Toro.
Crush pays the check then I clumsily slide off the stool to leave. He lays his hand on my shoulder as I squeeze between the tables and bodies to make my way toward the entrance. Then I see it; a blue Red Sox cap.
Never forget that, in an instant, your entire world can go black.
*****
This mattress is too firm. This isn’t my bed.
I open my eyes and the first thing I see is black clouds. Then I see Crush and he’s smiling.
‘Are you okay?’ he says with a nod.
He wants me to say I’m okay.
I nod back.
He turns away and all the sounds come in: the crackling static of a radio; the muffled whoosh of cars driving by through the snow; the whispers. All of it is intelligible white noise, but it tells me the story of what just happened.
I must be lying on a gurney in front of Toro.
‘Did I pass out?’ I whisper, my throat feeling a bit raw.
No one hears me, but I can hear Crush now. ‘She doesn’t need to go to the hospital. She had one too many beers. Look, she’s fine now.’
I try to sit up, but my torso is strapped to the gurney. ‘Get this off of me!’
Crush immediately reaches for the straps holding me down. I attempt to focus on my breathing to block out the thoughts of my time in High Point. The medic in the uniform blue parka attempts to push Crush’s hands away and Crush shoves him back so he can finish releasing me. I sit up quickly and lock my arms around his shoulders as he lifts me off the gurney.
‘It’s okay. They’re not taking you anywhere,’ he whispers in my ear. ‘I won’t let them take you.’
‘We need to take her vitals one more time. It’s policy,’ the guy in the parka says from somewhere behind me.
‘Make it quick,’ Crush replies, relaxing his grip on me.
Reluctantly, I loosen my hold on him and he grabs my face to kiss my forehead. I sit on the gurney as the medic presses his stethoscope to my chest and I flinch.
‘Just check her wrist,’ Crush says. ‘She has a sunburn on her chest.’
Tears spill from the corners of my eyes as I’m overcome with an overwhelming sadness for everything he’s doing to keep me from going to the hospital. Love shouldn’t be this much work. He shouldn’t have to lie for me. He shouldn’t have to worry if I’m going to slit my wrists every time I go to the bathroom.
‘I don’t deserve you,’ I whisper and he looks me in the eye without saying anything.
‘Pulse is still a little weak, but it’s stronger than it was ten minutes ago. Next time, don’t drink so much,’ the medic says, moving out of the way so I can stand.
‘I won’t.’
Crush holds out his hand to help me up from the gurney and he pulls me aside so we’re a few yards away from the small crowd now making their way back inside Toro. I stare at the silver zipper of his hoodie to keep from looking into his eyes. I don’t want to know that he agrees with me that I don’t deserve him.
His fingertips are gentle on
my skin as he lifts my chin. ‘Are you ready to hear your song?’
‘Yes.’
The drive to Wally’s in the backseat of the town car is short. Is this what life is like for rich people? You need something, you just call someone and they make it happen. Need a plane? Charter one. Need a ride to a club and don’t want your crazy girlfriend to be recognized . . . Look at that, already referring to myself as Crush’s girlfriend. I have definitely blown a fuse.
‘Do you want to talk about what happened back there?’ he says, giving my hand a soft squeeze.
