I shrug my shoulders like what I am about to say is some small feat. “For accepting me. Loving me. Being there for me. For teaching me how to properly take care of my curls.”
She laughs, such a loud, wonderful, infectious laugh. “Oh girl, you desperately needed help with those curls. It was atrocious. I’d never seen so much frizz, and I grew up in a beauty salon.”
I stick my tongue out at her, “Okay, okay, don’t remind me!”
“But on a serious note. I mean it, you are fucking shining girl. I love seeing you happy. Is this what you were like before you came to us?”
“I’m only like this with him.” My gaze lowers, a twinge of pain in my chest at the thought of how Ev was without me. He wasn’t forthcoming with much into his life without me, but I got a feeling it was bad.
“Well, I want a love like yours. Color me jealous, because I am, but like a good jealous, not like a sabotage you and secretly hate you behind your back jealous.”
I flick my towel at her. “Thank God.”
She snaps her towel back at me, and I yelp. “No, but seriously, I just need a hottie to walk into my life, become scarily obsessed with me, maybe even stalker level, and dote on me and fuck me on every surface. Is that too much to ask?”
A throat clears behind us, and my cheeks flame with embarrassment. Jesus, I hope whoeve—
I fumble the mug I was drying and stop breathing.
“Gage.” I say it more to myself than him, but he hears it nonetheless.
Cole turns to look at who has taken my breath from me.
“Who the fuck is Gage? Who the fuck are you?”
Her reaction to my reaction is immediate defensiveness. I never told her about Gage, not because he wasn’t influential to me but because he was. I could only handle reliving so many heartbreaks. I couldn’t tell her how not only did I run from Ev and Ski, I also left my best friend. The boy who understood my pain. Who understoodme on a level Ev never could. Gage knows what it’s like to be hurt by the one person who is meant to love you, and that is hurt I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
“Hi, Leo.”
He doesn’t even address Cole. His aloof and callous demeanor is still in place after all this time. But I know Gage. I know that there is a bighearted, charming man underneath that exterior, only reserved for the special people in his life. I used to be one of them, but based on the darkness in his eyes, I don’t think I am anymore.
He nods toward a corner booth, and I go to follow, but Cole catches my arm.
“Who the fuck is that? Do I need to call the cops or beat him with my portafilter?”
I scoff at her and take the portafilter from her hand, securing it back into the espresso machine.
“Gage is…” I hesitate. Who is Gage to me now? “An old friend. He’s harmless.”
“Yeah, well, he sure as fuck doesn’t look it. But I’d fucking die for you, so just, like, give me a signal or something.”
I nod at her, honestly questioning if I might actually have to do that. Gage was scary as a seventeen-year-old, even more so now that he has filled into his tall frame and packed on more tattoos than I have ever seen on anyone before. They crawl up his neck and onto the backs of his hands. I don’t even have to see his arms and chest to know that those are covered too.
We make our way to a table, and I sit across from him with my mug filled with coffee in front of me. Might be a weak shield, butit's hot if I need to throw it in his face and run. I run the pad of my finger over the rim.
“You’re back in Everett’s life, then.”
It’s not a question, but I answer it as such.
“Yes.”
“Why, Leo?” His menacing gaze hasn’t left me, and I am having a hard time staring into his molten hazel eyes.
“Have you spoken with Ev recently? I don’t know how close you two are—”
“He’s my brother, Leo. Always has been, always will be. No matter who comes and goes from his life. I have always been there.”
He places a particularly furious emphasis on goes that I don’t miss.
