Page 26 of The Intimacy of Finding You

No. There was no way. None of those made any sense. Right?

I was at risk of getting pulled over with how fast I drove through the streets of Crescent Planes. Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have even been driving with how close I was to hyperventilating. I made it to Fire and Ice in record time, damn near tipping my car with how quickly I went around the curve to the back entrance.

The car hadn’t even fully settled before I turned the key and opened the door, racing out of it and to the back door. The wind was loud and strong, trying to knock me over the entire way there. I went to open the door, realizing far too late that I didn’t have my key. “Fuck.” I rubbed my eyes in frustration, trying to pull myself together.

Tobi’s car wasn’t in the parking lot, either. Price and Crew’s cars were. Jesse’s van was. So where the fuck was Tobi’s?

Shaking my head, I started to knock on the back door. More like pound on it, actually. I used the side of my fist, putting my all into it, the sound almost as loud as the howling wind around us. They weren’t answering fast enough. Where the fuck was everybody? “Open the door! It’s Callum!” No answer.

“Come on, guys!” I pounded on the door harder, the whole thing shaking just as much as my hand was—my whole body was. My breaths sounded uneven, and fast. Was I wrong? Were the cars in the parking lot not actually theirs, and I was just banging on the door for no reason?

Finally, the door swung open, the hinges creaking as Price stood on the other side with his eyebrows pinched together. “What the fuck is up with you?”

I was out of breath. I was officially losing it all, and I could hardly get any words out. “Is Tobi here?”

“Tobi? No, we haven’t seen him yet. Why?”

That did it. I was looking straight at Price, and within a second, I couldn’t see him anymore. He was nothing but a blur as it finally settled in. The missing clothes. Not answering my phone call or text. His car being gone. And one tiny detail I’d tried to ignore entirely—all of his keys were gone, except his key to the apartment, which had been sitting right beside mine on the table.

I took in a big, shaking breath. Price was holding me by the shoulders, trying to talk to me, but I couldn’t hear him. My head hurt so fucking badly. I wasn’t even sure if I could get the words out, but I tried. I tried to tell him what my gut knew, but my heart wasn’t ready to accept. “Tobi left.”

Price stopped talking.

The wind stopped howling.

And my heart fucking shattered as I let out a long, horrified cry right there for everyone in the entire world to see. Everyone but Tobi.

chapter fifteen

Present Day

We always met in the same alley right across the street from Fire and Ice. Around noon every day, he’d leave and go who knew where. Jack hadn’t seen him in days, so I had no idea where he went. He told me he quit going to the subway, but where he stayed for most of the day and night was still a mystery.

I’d bring him warm food and water every time. At first, he’d refuse whatever I gave him, but after day two, he’d given in and finally started to eat what I brought. It just took me reminding him that he didn’t owe me, it wasn’t a handout, and he deserved at least one warm meal a day, whether he got it from me or not. I was going to bring it—he might as well eat it.

Today, I had a steaming bowl of chicken jardinière soup straight from the kitchen, a bottle of water from the staff fridge, and something else I wasn’t sure he’d accept from me. I’d picked up a new long-sleeved shirt and thick coat for him to wear. His jacket was so thin, I wasn’t sure how he’d survived through the New York cold. Maybe I was crossing a line too early, but I couldn’t handle the idea of him refusing help and suffering so much for it. I’d rather try to have him get a little mad than not try at all if there was a chance he’d take it.

There wasn’t any snow on the ground, but the air was still frigid as I walked along the crosswalk. Tobi was in his usual spot, sitting with his back against the wall behind him. “Hey, Tobes.” I took my spot in front of him, grunting as I got situated on the ground.

“That’s a bigger bag than usual.” He nodded toward the plastic bag to my side.

“Yeah, I wanted to show you a couple of things.” I dug the soup out first, taking the top off and handing it to him with a plastic spoon.

He stared at it, watching the steam rise into the air. He leaned forward, taking a big sniff, his eyes falling shut. “Damn. I remember Price showing me how to cook this for the first time. I can’t believe y’all still have it on the menu.”

Tobi’s voice didn’t sound right. It sounded like his throat was raw and his nose was stuffy. I looked over his face, noticing how red his cheeks were. “It’s seasonal now, but it’s definitely a favorite. You feeling okay?”

“Meh.” He shrugged. “I think I’m getting a cold or somethin’. This should help, though.” His hands shook a little as he scooped up his first bite and blew on it. “What else did you want to show me?”

“Can you promise not to get mad at me?”

His eyebrows came together. “I’m not sure I can promise that, no. But I can try. I hope you didn’t do something too stupid.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” I opened the bag back up and pulled out the shirt and coat. “I found these. With how cold it’s about to get, you’re going to need them.”

“Oh, come on.” He rolled his eyes. “What don’t you get about me not wantin’ handouts, Cal?”

“Listen to yourself speak. You’re already getting sick. Christmas is only a few days away, and they’re calling for negative temps with another wave of snow on Christmas Eve night.”