Scrunching my nose, I point to the half-caff one.
“I hope you know how proud of you I am,” he says as he brews my cup.
My stomach twists, threatening to expel the all of nothing inside it. Dry heaving is the worst, so I pull out some crackers to munch on.
Toxic returns to the table with two steaming mugs. “How’d you sleep?”
Hardly at all…
“Like a rock.”
“Kilo’s snoring kept me up half the night.” He sighs. “But I don’t think you’d much like bunking upstairs on account that there are so many more men.”
“I have a surprise for you,” I say, turning my phone to face him.
His eyes light with elation when he reads what’s on the screen.
“Seriously?”
“You’ve held up your side of…everything. I figured it was time I made the initial appointment.”
“Are you sure waiting a month is wise?” he asks.
“I picked that date because it’s close to my place and your tour bus will be three hours away, so you won’t have to take time off.” I don’t mention my family drama because I don’t want him any more stressed than he is.
He frowns. “You shouldn’t have to worry about where the tour bus is in order to get the care you need.”
“Some women go a lot longer before their initial appointment.”
“You’re not some women. You’re my droid momma.”
I smile, but in the back of my mind, I wonder how long this can last.
And that’s not me being pessimistic about his intentions. My own mother left me without looking back. If not for little droid, he’d have no reason to stay.
Vanessa exits her room and makes her way down the aisle, her eyes glued to me, her lips sneered into a scowl.
Little does she know that within a day, she’ll be recruited to my cause.
Toxic’s expression is sour and wounded. There will be hell to pay if this gets much worse for him. That’s a fucking promise.
“We need to talk,” he says, his voice more solemn than I’ve ever heard it.
“About?”
“Prince and Bianca are due back soon.”
Oh, great. Two more people who think I’m Satan to contend with.
“If you’re worried, don’t be. I know how to behave.”
And by that I mean I’ll work in the shadows, at the edges of people’s minds, driving them to do things they typically wouldn’t.
His phone rings, and he checks the screen. From across the table, I see the nameMariapop up.
“I need to take this.” He gets up from the booth and moves to the pantry area, pacing as he speaks.
I return my gaze to my email, but I’m unable to focus when I hear Toxic’s voice rise in frustration.
