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“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” I joked, following her out.
We exited the apartment building, still hearing the couple above us screaming at one another. Once the cool Virginia air hit my face, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
The thing was, I actually loved this tiny town.
I hadn’t found my place in it yet, but I enjoyed the little nuances and character that made up the smaller city. It was quiet here, everything moved slower, like I could finally catch my breath. It was so different than where I had lived as a kid, a small suburb outside of Richland. Chapel Grove was an entirely different sort of small-town. One that was built with old money and polluted with rich pricks who hadn’t ever shown an ounce of loyalty or kindness a day in their lives.
“So, are you coming to the bonfire tonight?” Callie asked, while we walked down the street, toward her tattoo studio. Her husband owned it, but she had a chair inside, where she worked, and had started building up her own clientele. She was damn good too, the only person I trusted to ink my skin.
Staring at the ground, I shrugged. “Don’t know. I guess, if I get hungry.”
“You should come, at least to let loose for a bit. I know you’re still trying to figure out the club dynamics, but Wes is starting to transition things over to Killian, and we’re a little nervous about how the newer prospects are going to respond since they’re used to how Wes does things. You’re like eye candy to them, maybe you could flit around and flirt for a bit. Talk up the new club president?”
Gross. I nearly barfed in my mouth.
Her husband, Wes, was stepping down from leading the club, handing the reins over to my mortal enemy, and she wanted me to schmooze the club members? I’d rather stick a fork in my hand than talk up the asshole who made my life a living hell as often as he possibly could.
“I can make an appearance, Cal, but I have nothing good to say about him.”
Callie stopped mid step, turning toward me.
“I’m so confused by you two. Aren’t you guys living together? I remember when he said goodbye to you on that bus platform, he looked at you like…” She trailed off, as if she were nervous to voice what she was actually thinking.
“Looked at me like what?”
Her lips pursed, before she shook her head. “He gave you something.”
She ignored my comment and decided to just go for the kill.
I knew I should have been more careful with my words. She had a difficult time understanding just how cruel her pseudo big brother could be, at least to me.
“So he gave me something.” I shrugged, feeling agitated.
Callie searched my face. “So what did he give you?”
Why was she suddenly so curious?
Pushing on farther down the street, I shook my head. “It’s stupid.”
She was right at my shoulder, gently squeezing my arm. “Tell me anyway.”
“Fine, but you can’t ask follow-up questions.”
“Okay, I won’t,” she swore.
With a heavy sigh, I stopped once more and looked around. “He gave me a pebble.”
Callie’s mouth parted slightly, her brows dipping as she tried to work it out.
“As in a rock?”
I nodded. “I need coffee.”
I knew she wanted to know why he gave it to me, and months later, I was still curious about it too. I knew the significance of it. I just couldn’t quite understand why he’d given it to me, except that he likely assumed he’d never see me again. It was why I had never brought it up to him, and why I would die a thousand times over before confessing it was still in my suitcase, tucked away where no one would ever find it.
Because admitting that Killian Quinn gave me a metaphorical piece of his heart, was something I would never admit to anyone, not even myself.
TWO
