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Twenty-Four
Richie
Byron
It’d been over three weeks since Savannah’s grandparent’s anniversary party. In spite of her taking him home to meet herentirefamily and even Beast and Ali agreeing that was huge in a relationship, fact remained she’d introduced him as her friend toeveryone of them. She’d even made a point of reiterating more than once that weekend to different family members, that her main focus right now was school and getting her goals mapped out. Byron was all for it, and he thought he was done obsessing about whether or not she thought this relationship might be headed anywhere, or if once done with school, she’d head home and never look back. But it felt almost silly to start asking this soon. That was four years from now. Even he didn’t know where his life would be by then, he had so much going on.
Taking a break because he noticed the missed call from Savannah, Byron went upstairs to call her back. “Hey, you,” she answered, and he could already hear the smile in her voice.
Of course, it had him smiling big too. Albeit nervously because what hearing what this young girl’s voice did to him now, hell what just seeing the missed call from her did to him earlier, scared thefuckout of him. Despite how heavy things seemed to have gotten between them, he wasn’t sure if his insecure heart was imagining it, but it’d begun to feel like she might be pulling back. In the past couple of weeks, she’d made sure to sneak in every few days how she’d had to reassure her mom or sister that she wasn’t expecting too much from this. That she was perfectly fine with his being even busier now that they’d finalized a deal for the shop’s reality show. Which meant he’d be even busier. He only hoped her answering like she did, meant she was still feeling the same ridiculousness he’d been feeling this whole time.
“Hey.” He smiled big. “Missed your call.”
“Yeah, I’m getting ready to leave to the market to pick up what I’ll need for you tonight.”
Glancing at the clock on the microwave he saw it was near closing time already. “What time you getting here?”
He heard her hurried footsteps and then what sounded like the chains on her dorm room doors lock. “I’m literally walking out—”
“Hey, Vannah glad I caught you.”
The guy talking had to be close because Byron heard him perfectly. “Who’s that?”
She didn’t respond at first and the phone was muffled for a moment. While a bit inaudible, Byron still made out what she said. “I’m in a hurry right now, Richard.”
Whatever Richardsaid Byron couldn’t make out, but he did make out whatshesaid. “I can’t right now.”
Richard said something else Byron couldn’t make out and then the phone was unmuffled and she spoke into it this time. “Byron, let me call you back.”
“Richard, your ex?”
“Just . . .” She huffed a bit then went on in a lowered voice. “I’ll call you in a little bit when I’m in my car, okay?”
The phone clicked, and the call ended. Byron glanced down at the phone instantly feeling hot.The hell?
Instinctively, he almost hit send to call her back—demand answers—but he didn’t. Instead, he took a deep breath. Nine’s theory about young college girls had long been something he’d stopped rethinking. It didn’t pertain to her anymore. Not after they’d gotten things straight that first night he’d had dinner with her parents. Not after everything that’d happened since then. Savannah couldn’t just go home with a clean slate anymore. That wasnota family you brought a different guy to every few months.
Just like at her grandparents’ barbeque there was likely a perfectly good explanation for this. Richard was a common name. What were the odds this was even the same guy? The guy didn’t even live in the area. Despite the inner debate trying to persuade him to let this be, twenty agonizing minutes later he was just about to give in and call her when his phone rang. When he saw her name on the screen, he picked it up. Even if this was a different Richard, she’dhung upon Byron for, he took a deep breath and willed his patience to hang in there.
“Hey.”
“Sorry about that.”
Byron pressed his lips together and he closed his eyes but nodded as if she could see him. Of course, there was only one thing on his mind now. “Who’s Richard?”
“My cousin Chava and him stopped by as they drove through LA, and I thought they’d left but he came back a few minutes later as I was walking out.”
Pressing his lips together even tighter, now that she’d just confirmed this was the same fucker, Byron squeezed the empty water bottle in his hand and threw it in the trash a little harder than he’d intended. “Oh, yeah? What for?”
“To talk. In private while Chava waited in the car. He umm . . . broke up with his girlfriend.”
Byron stopped in the middle of the room when he realized he’d begun to pace. “So?”
“Obviously, he’s aware I’m hanging with someone new now. But I guess he was wondering if I still had feelings for him, like . . . he said he still has for me. But of course, I told him no.”
Hanging?This close to asking exactly what she meant by that, Byron decided he wouldn’t be a girl about this. She’d told the guy she didn’t have feelings for him anymore. That’s all that should matter, right?
“Listen,” she said before he could respond to that, and Byron heard what sounded like a car door opening then the beeping sound as if she’d just put her keys in the ignition. “I’ll likely be about a half hour at the market but then it’s okay if I go straight to your place after?”
