But I had to protect myself … right?With every interaction, I felt less and less conviction in that statement.
“In that case, why don’t I give you my number? That way, you have it, and when you’re ready for me to have yours, you can just call me.”
“Ooh, now that’s smooth, Wright.” A smile spread across my face, and it felt like the first genuine one I’d had since I fainted. I stared at him a couple of seconds longer and bit my lip, running through scenarios in my mind. My agreeing to that was letting another wall come down, and part of me was saying no, but the other part, the louder part, was screaming Yes! God, Yes!
I mean, he had no obligation to me, and yet around every corner he was there with comforting words and anunflappable physical presence that made me feel safe. I had no idea why he would want to get involved with me after the last couple of things that had happened, but his intentions weren’t veiled.
Donovan repeated his number to me, and I punched it into my phone. I called him immediately, and because he didn’t expect it, he looked at the phone with agitation when it rang. But the thought that it might be me calling hit him, and when he glanced at me, I couldn’t play it off. I must have looked like the cat who got the canary.
“Is this you? You really just called me.” He said it with surprise. It was such a simple moment, but the way he said it was so wholesome and endearing that I leaned my body into his again as my heart exploded. “I have to put your picture in my contacts,” he said, but he didn’t just point the camera at me. He held his phone out in front of him to take a selfie of the two of us. It was our first photo, and I couldn’t help but think how fitting it was. His huge frame took up so much of the phone screen, and I was tucked into him, like he was protecting me—like he had been doing the whole time—and we were both beaming. After he snapped it, he kissed my cheek.
“Thank you for trusting me, Audra.”
“Thank you for being you, Donovan.”
34
DONOVAN
Audra was headed to continue stocking Grá with the girls, but I wished she could have spent the rest of the day with me. When we parted ways, it took all the willpower I had not to move my lips three inches over to kiss her lips goodbye instead of her cheek, but I didn’t. It already felt huge that she called me right away, so I didn’t want to press my luck.
The opportunity to ask her to come to New York never presented itself, but I still had a couple of days. Maybe I was delusional, and she’d tell me to pound sand. Once I had a chance to think logically about it, who in their right mind would be open to going somewhere with a forty-eight-hour lead time? This wasn’t my young and dumb travel days; nineteen and jobless, with no responsibilities. Ugh, I was an idiot. Being with her was such a dichotomy. I could see things so clearly, but she also simultaneously scrambled the shit out of my brain. Nothingeverscrambled the shit out of my brain.
Bennett
So. Audra.
The text came through, and I laughed. Really, I should have known this was coming. But the fact that I could acknowledge this was just some friends on a group text, not people with ulterior motives in socializing with me, was a monumental step, and indicative of how far I’d come.
Donovan
What of it?
Bennett
You just happened to drive her back to her car today. Where did you pick her up from? You just happened to text my brother asking him to come check out said car and mentioned not making any deal of it.
Should I go on? You just happened to catch her as she was falling down because you pay that close of attention to her, so you saw the instant things got dicey. You just happened to grab onto her like you’d lost her when she came to. You just happened to be the one to take her to the police station today. Lots of happenings since poker, it seems.
Murphy
She fucking called you Batman, man. What kind of role-playing shit are you into?
Maverick
I landed like two hours ago. What the hell did I miss? Who’s Batman? Who’s going to the police station?
Murphy
You forfeit any dealings with anyone or anything while you are in California, dick.
Maverick
Fuck off.
Bennett
It’s Donovan. I mean, Batman.
