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I wrapped my arms tighter around him as he revved the engine on his bike. He turned his head to the side to look back at me.
“Thank you. For listening,” I said.
“Always, Baby Doll.”
I laid my cheek against his back, thankful for the day I’d moved next door to the blond boy with a wild streak and a vocabulary full of curse words.
Nine
Genesis
October 30
Bowie had been nervous all through dinner. It felt as if he needed to tell me something, but wasn’t sure how to. When he didn’t, my head immediately went to him breaking up with me or needing space or maybe he’d met someone else. Once we reached his car, he stopped and asked me if I was in the mood to go to the springs. Not to swim, just to sit and talk. I hadn’t been to the springs since I had been in high school.
I said yes, wondering if it was there that he was going to tell me whatever it was that had him acting odd. Mentally, I tried to prepare myself for Bowie not being able to do long-distance. Although I did feel like we had been doing good at talking on the phone and texting. I thought things with us were good. He’d told me he loved me just last night before we ended the call and went to bed.
When I’d opened the door this afternoon to him, he’d said he missed me and how he had needed to see my face. I hadn’t been expecting him, and it was a great surprise. One I needed. Kye had been busy with his underworld life this week, and I’d thrown myself into working when I wasn’t at the hospital. My only friends growing up here had been Bowie and Kye. It had taken me moving to Savannah for college to meet my first female friend. Quinn had claimed me the first day we met. Thinking of her made me smile.
Being a Monday night, the springs weren’t packed. There wasn’t another car here. Relieved that we would have privacy, I stepped out of the truck as Bowie walked around the front to meet me. His grin didn’t look like one of a guy about to break things off. That was some relief. Maybe I was just being paranoid.
“We got lucky. No one else is here,” he said to me, taking my hand.
“It is a school night,” I reminded him.
We made our way over to the spot we knew well and sat down. The moon was bright tonight, and the way it danced over the water was peaceful.
“I think this is the first time I’ve ever been here without the place being packed,” I said.
“Yeah, me too,” he agreed. “We’ve got a lot of memories here.”
I laughed, thinking about the times we’d been here over the years. “Yes, we do.”
I left out that all those memories had Kye in them too. Bowie already knew that. I’d come here the first time with Kye and Bowie. Chloe had brought us the summer Kye turned nine.
“I’ve made mistakes with you. Ones I can’t go back and fix. If I had only known then what I know now,” he said to me, his hand tightening over mine, “I would have done it differently. I’d have listened to you about the kiss. I wouldn’t have shut you out. There wouldn’t be this weirdness between Kye and me.” He chuckled, then shook his head. “No. That’s a lie. I wouldn’t have ever been able to think of Kye as my best friend after that day. But I’d have stayed around for you.”
I really hoped we weren’t out here to rehash the past. I wanted to leave it there. Not go back and think about it.
“You and Kye were always opposites. That would have probably made the two of you grow apart over time anyway. Here you are, a software programmer, and Kye is a …” I trailed off.
“Lord of the Underworld,” Bowie finished for me with amusement in his tone.
I smirked. “Yeah, that. He also works on motorcycles,” I added.
Why I felt like I had to defend him when Kye chose to be a part of the Mafia life, I didn’t know. But it just always happened.
“Sure, I know,” Bowie said, and then he lifted our joined hands and placed a kiss on mine. “You’re right. We aren’t anything alike. Growing up, we were boys, and that didn’t matter as much. But as men, we don’t enjoy the same things. For example, there is no way in hell I’d go to a strip club. I don’t like guns, so I sure as heck wouldn’t walk around with one always on my body, and a motorcycle is a death trap.”
A smile touched my face as I thought of what Kye would say to all that. I was thankful that Bowie didn’t feel the need to go watch women dance naked and that he didn’t like guns. I hated them. The motorcycle thing I might not agree with. Somehow, when I was on the back of Kye’s, I felt safe. But I understood Bowie’s feelings about it. I’d never want him driving one. That would be dangerous.
