Page 70 of Trust Me

“Where the hell did you come from?”

Remi had a smirk on his face. With his arms crossed, he looked a bit like a villain. “You need help understanding him.”

“No.” I walked past him, then stopped at the counter as I scanned the bar, looking for anything I might’ve missed.

“There once was a boy hard to read, who never shows all that he bleeds. He jokes when he aches, gives more than he takes, and hides all his truths in rare deeds.”

I snorted a laugh. “What the fuck was that?”

“A limerick, you buffoon. Look, there’s no shame in wanting to understand him. We all have unique experiences. They shape us in weird ways, and you clearly don’t know what you’re working with here. But you want to.”

“With all due respect, I don’t want your help.”

He leaned against the counter and quirked a brow. “No?”

“Nah, I’m good on my own.”

“Is that why you’ve been in distress since he left?”

Ignoring the question, I chewed on my lip for a second. “I’ll figure him out, but I don’t want to do it like this.”

“Like what?”

“Talking to his best friend.” I gestured toward him. “I don’t need the cheat code. If I fuck up a bunch of times, that’s fine, as long as I figure it out along the way.”

The way Remi stared at me made my skin crawl. I shifted on my feet, ready to bolt. I was finished here anyway, and my eyes were heavy from the late nights.

Just as I was about to walk away, Remi’s expression changed. His lips thinned and his eyes fell to the floor. “I respect that.”

My brows shot up. “You do?”

Meeting my gaze, he nodded. “The more you get to know Oli, the more you’ll see him. People tend to give up on him quickly or hold him at arm’s length, but that makes it worse, you know? He’s just . . . never been wanted. That’s all I’ll say about it.” He cleared his throat, then nodded toward the door. “Get out of here, and don’t get yourself arrested tomorrow. Working around the age thing is a big enough hurdle. Adding a felony to the mix ain’t a good move.”

I breathed a laugh, but I just nodded before I headed for the door. I moved quickly, half afraid he’d start spinning poetry again.

Even though I hadn’t asked for much information from Remi, he’d given me a nugget. It wasn’t all that different from what Oli had already told me, but it was clear that I needed to keep my eyes open from now on, otherwise I’d miss signs that were right in front of me. Like giving him a reason to think he was being a nuisance all because he wanted to make sure I ate.

I was a dumbass. But it was fixable.

*****

The apartment was dark when I opened the door. Not long ago, I would’ve assumed that meant Oli was asleep. I’d seen a lot in the past month, though, and I knew that he was always awake when I got home. Just like he was when I left my room every morning, even if it was early. Maybe he was a light sleeper. More likely, there was another reason for it.

“Get up,” I said, flipping on the entry light.

Oli pushed himself up on his elbows, squinting his eyes. “Is it finally happening?”

“Depends. What’s your mind go to?”

“Zombie apocalypse.” He cocked his head, then shook it. “The Rumbling? We’ll never escape, so we might as well tuck in and live out our wildest fantasies before we’re squashed and barbequed.”

“I have no idea what you’re going on about.”

His mouth gaped comically. “You uncultured heathen.”

“I have food,” I said, holding up two paper bags.

“Oh my God. Jack in the Box? Have I told you I love you?”