Page 93 of Fish Out of Water

“Yeah, and our wonderful mom and dad think I made a mistake getting fired, or whatever they have to believe to sleep at night.”

“This is your actual mistake.” She stood up from the couch. “You should tell Robbie what happened with Ethan. At least then he might understand why you’re so reluctant to let him love you.”

“He doesn’t love me.”

“Maybe Mom and Dad were right about you after all.”

She walked down the hall to Jake’s room and shut the door. Jake remained on the couch, pulling the blanket over himself with tired hands. Robbie didn’t love him. He couldn’t love him.

He closed his eyes. An image of Robbie with those pleading puppy-dog eyes, hair falling over his forehead in gilded strands, filled his mind. Even Robbie deserved compassion. And love. Robbie deserved more love than he’d ever managed to wring out of his life, and now Jake was denying him that.

Alex was right. Robbie was right. There was more to their relationship than Jake had ever allowed himself to see, and if he didn’t break one more rule before he left Eventide, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

24

COWARDS

Alex dragged Jake along to the bookstore early in the morning. She insisted on walking, and though Jake’s back and knees were sore from sleeping on the couch, he acquiesced, only slowing to compose himself a little when they neared the store.

Robbie was behind the front counter as usual, alone in an empty building. He looked happy enough, and he smiled when Jake and Alex walked in.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Jake said back, his voice higher than usual. “How—” He cleared his throat. “How are you?”

Robbie raised one eyebrow. “Fine. And how are you?”

“Good, right Alex?” Jake turned to his sister.

“I’m gonna have a look around,” Alex whispered. “You go talk to him.”

Jake rolled his eyes, but as soon as she disappeared behind a shelf, he sidled up to the counter and rested his arms, one crossed over the other, on top.

“What is it, Jake?” Robbie’s weariness wore through in his voice, and his eyes had dulled in the few seconds since he’d greeted them.

“I was wrong,” Jake said.

“And what were you wrong about this time?” Robbie asked, his utter disinterest in the conversation keeping his voice in a monotone lull.

“About you loving me. I’ve had some time to think about it, and I believe you.”

“Wow, lucky me.”

“Please, Robbie, hear me out.”

Robbie’s eyebrows dropped, shadowing his eyes, then he nodded. “Okay.”

“I have something I want to tell you about, and maybe it will help you make sense of my attitude.” Jake straightened up as he realized he needed all the confidence he could muster to get through this story. “You know I left my job a couple of months before I came here, right?”

“Yes.”

“And I never told you why.”

“You were pretty cagy about it.”

“I left it because of a guy.”

“A guy?” Robbie couldn’t hide his sudden interest no matter how hard he tried.