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“Shit, Tink, you sound like crap. What’s wrong?” he asks through the thick panel, and I can hear his voice growing deeper with concern the longer he stands out there.
Tink.It’s so weird how he calls me that. I’ve never really had a nickname before, not a real one at least. My parents and Mia call me Brin occasionally, and my mom calls mebaby girlsometimes, but that doesn’t really count. A small smile touches my lips. Reed’s nickname for me is cute, and sweet, and affectionate in a very Reed Devlin kind of way.
I can see his feet moving in the small sliver of light seeping into the apartment from beneath the door. He knocks again, and when I don’t immediately answer I notice the doorhandle twisting back and forth.
“Brinley, come on,” he says, seriously. He knocks again, louder this time. “Are you going to make me stand out here all fucking night, or are you actually going to let me in? I’m freezing my backside off out here!”
I open the door in my fleecy panda pajamas. “As always, the pleasure is all mine.”
“Your sarcasm is ugly, Brinley. You should really work on that. It’s a terrible personality trait.” He walks into the living room and the instant our eyes meet, a deep frown creases his brows. “What the hell? Are you sick? You look like crap.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m serious. You’re pale. And those dark circles under your eyes are scary as fuck.”
“You have such a way with words. But yeah, you’re right. I feel terrible.”
“What’s wrong?”
I shrug my shoulders, but the small movement makes me feel queasy. Reed’s definitely on the money, I don’t feel too crash hot. I’ve barely slept at all over the past week and my stomach is in tight, twisted knots.
I also feel a little lightheaded and I… wait, what the hell is he doing?
“Reed, stop, why are you…”
He storms into the kitchen and throws open the refrigerator door so hard and fast that it swings back and hits him in the leg. I cringe when I see his eyes pop open widely.
“Where’s all your food?” he shouts, instantly furious.
“I, uh –”
“Why is there no food in your fridge, Brinley?”
“There’s jam.”
“I can see that.”
“I haven’t bought any groceries this week. That’s all.”
He slams the fridge door closed again and then spins on his heels to glare at me. “When’s the last time you ate? And if you tell me it was at my mother’s house, I’m going to lose my crap altogether.”
I rub my hand across my forehead and take a seat on the end of the couch. My legs feel shaky. I’d rather sit down before I fall down. Reed’s tutting his tongue madly and shaking his head in disbelief as he delves through the sparse kitchen cupboards.
He looks really pissed off.
“I’m a bit strapped for cash right now, is all,” I tell him, pathetically. “Paying rent trumps eating at the moment. And let’s not forget the small matter of the five hundred dollars I still owe you for getting my car out of lock-up.”
“I don’t give a shit about the money.”
“Okay, but I –”
“And why is it still so goddamn cold in here?” Reed’s expression is hard to fathom. He looks mad, sad, and maybe a little confused as well. “It’s fucking freezing! No wonder you’re not feeling well. That’s it! I’m going over to see that fat fucker across the hall right this second. Watch him shake in his boots when I… oh, fuck…”
I look up, blinking slowly when Reed stops talking.
He’s staring at me kind of funny, panicked, and desperate, and then right as I hear him shout my name, everything fades to black.
Reed
