Naomi’s too far gone to catch any of it, but Tiffy hears every word and spits the last sip of her Mojito back into the cup.
I avoid her gaze and turn to Joan instead. Safer territory.
Did he just—
Hard to say what he meant, but it sounded a lot like defining exclusivity. Casual enough that only I was supposed to catch it.
Well… me and Miss Laser Eyes over here, who’s gaze is currently drilling a hole into the side of my skull.
I grab my lemon juice, downing it in one go. This night has been insane, and something tells me that sticking with Tom means normal is officially off the table.
Pretty sure he knows that too.
Chapter thirty-five
Tom
We leave the girls behind while the night’s still young. Arcadia’s a long drive, and Yosh has his painfully serious board interview in the morning, angling for manager of crystals.
I still need to pack up my instruments before I check myself out first thing in the morning.
I should be relieved to be ditching that posh place, and I am, but it also means not being around Yosh anymore.
No more teasing. No more kissing. No more getting handsy on his treatment table.
Which is, you know, the problem. You’re not supposed to do that.
And whatever this thing is between us, it’s not just tearing each other’s clothes off anymore. I’m actually thinking about him in ways that don’t involve a quick fuck.
I’m thinking bout staying, getting serious.
Never thought that day would ever arrive.
The strange thing is, the thought doesn’t send me spiraling.
If anything, it feels right. Like maybe I could have this, whatever this is.
At least Joan’s still on the island. Calvin too, even though I still feel like rearranging his nose after tonight. In the end, he’s family, for better or worse. We’ll make peace eventually.
Yosh fishes the keys from his pocket and dangles them in front of my face.“You want me to drive your baby? You running a fever?”
I mean it as a joke, but when I look at him, his eyes are distant. It’s not until I nudge him that he blinks and comes back.
“Are you okay, love?”
“Yeah, I’m…” He pinches the bridge of his nose, dragging his fingers over closed eyes. “Just tired.”
“Alright. No problem.”
I take the keys, filthy grin spreading. “I’ll make sure you get to bed.”
The road toWest Coveis empty, streetlights leading the way. There’s something hypnotic in the way the light ripples over the asphalt in waves. It takes me back to touring Europe, counting streetlights from my bunk on the bus, trying to drain the adrenaline from the stage and trick myself into sleep.
One hand rests loose on the steering wheel, my eyes fixed on the road. Every now and then I glance over at Yosh. He leans against the window, eyes half-shut, drifting away every now and then, murmuring half-sentences that don’t add up.
We realized pretty quickly after leaving town that someone slipped something into his drink. And most likely, that someone was Terrence..
My first instinct was to drive straight to the hospital, but Yosh shut that down. He didn’t want anyone seeing him like this.
