Oran
Gazing at my phone as I debated answering Candice’s call, I scoffed slightly before swiping the screen and holding it to my ear.
“What?” The wind picked up a little, and I drummed my fingers on the bar of Hansen’s as a ship horn blew in the background of the call.
“You sound like you’re in a bad mood. I can fix that. Guess who I found while I was doing a little sneaking around?” Nodding in thanks at the bartender as she winked at me, I lifted my beer to my lips and grunted in impatience. “I’m going to be docking in Port Angeles in about five hours. Carlyle is meeting me there. I finally figured out who’s been spying on me.”
“Really? Carlyle’s going himself? What have you learned?” I could feel Candice smirking like the Cheshire Cat through the damn phone at my probe, and I took a huge preparatory gulp of my beer. Whatever it was, it would be something she’s immensely proud of, but I honestly wasn’t interested. Carlyle ran the Syndicate like a business— there wasn’t much of the old-school mobster horror stories going on.
“Just that I was right originally. They’re trying to separate you. Divide and conquer, I suppose. Fuckin’ eggs.”
“Why would I need to be there for whatever Carlyle’s going to do? I have something more important to do tonight than watch him say he’s going to do something, and then have someone else do it.” Candice was quiet at that, and I licked my lips of the taste of my draft and hissed softly. “I’m hanging up, now.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Speaking up quickly, Candice paused when a hard, metallicbangsounded, and I frowned darkly under furrowed brows. “Oran, since we’re on the phone, I was wondering, is there anything you want me to bring you?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine, Candice. I honestly don’t believe I’m going to need anything from you.” Candice’s silence was daunting and I slowly hung up on her as I contemplated my own announcement. She was the one who brought me Kara. Well, technically, Kara asked her to.
I never loved Kara. I never felt that thing that spurred life forward. Kara was a roommate, a constant, a rock in a turbulent ocean. For that, I’d always have love for her, but . . .
I was a different man, now.
Lifting my glass to my lips, I stared at the deep, swirling stain of the bar top through narrowed eyes. May was a polar opposite to Kara, totally different sides of the spectrum, and she didn’t need me to fix her problems. Where Kara used me as a shield to the outside, May resisted and determined her own way. She set her mind on something and she did it.
Like earlier, when her hopes for her parents tobabysit their own daughterwere dashed, May just sucked it up and trudged on. What happened that made those two hate Sarah so much, and did May know about it? If nothing happened, then why the sudden change of heart? Obviously, they had the resources to assist Sarah in whatever she might want to do, they just didn’t want the hassle.
My palms itched with the urge to write a check and make the whole problem disappear. Sourness coated my tongue, and I took another swig of my beer to wash down the slight disgust that bubbled up in my throat. No, May needed validation. She wanted her hard work to be recognized, not just to be given something for nothing.
But I was working on that.
“Tough day?” A little scoff flowed down my nostrils at that, and I leaned back to sigh as the bartender from the last time I was here leaned on her forearms on the bar. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Here’s a question.” Locking eyes with her under furrowed brows, I pursed my lips thinly as my knee bounced under the bar. “If some unforeseen circumstance rendered you homeless, would you move in with someone you were seeing despite not seeing them very long?”
Interest sparkled in her brown eyes, and I propped my elbow on the bar top to hold my cheek in my palm. Holding the bar’s rounded edge lightly, she leaned back on her heels with a thoughtful expression, and I gulped my beer to pass the time.Speaking of time. . . it wasn’t even four p.m. yet, and here I was, drinking.Man, I need to pick up puzzles or something.
“It’d depend on how much of a connection I felt to that person, I guess. Of course, I would weigh that option against the others, if I had others. My parents, my brother, maybe, but if they couldn’t help me out, and I liked the guy a lot . . . yeah, I would.” She arched a brow quizzically and I tapped my cheek absently as I stared through her. “Why? You thinkin’ of taking that next step with your girlfriend?”
“Something like that.” I didn’t know why I ordered the free crackers and guacamole because I sure as shit wasn’t hungry, and I frowned when the basket and bowl landed in front of me. After what happened this morning, I couldn’t find my appetite. All that roiled in my stomach was disgust. “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”
“Well, I’m sure that whatever she does, she’ll be happy that you offered.” The manager of the place bounced off to the back, and I took a whole grain cracker to rub the salt off between my fingertips.
My phone buzzed and I swiped open the text to gaze at a picture of May, her alabaster skin shimmering as she sprawled out on a massage table. Her nakedness came secondary to the peaceful look on her face, even under the thick, goopy mask she wore. Rust-tinted locks draped over the headrest of the table, and I picked up my phone to type a quick reply.
Oran: You deserve it. Have a nice time.
May sent me a lot of nudes. Most of the time, it was for no reason at all. I never had to ask— they just popped up in my messenger at random. I liked the spontaneity, but it presented me with a problem that got worse and worse with time.We hadn’t actually fucked but on two occasions, and both of those were cut short.
That first time in May’s apartment, I really didn’t want her sixteen-year-old sister to walk in on us. The second time, in the shower at my place, we both had to get to work, so a lengthy exploration wasn’t an option.
Our missed date on Friday had beenthe day.Neither she nor I talked about it aloud, but I was going to learn all her quirks. Obviously, that didn’t happen, and I wasn’t sure it would any time soon. Regular sex was okay. I got off on it, and so did she. But that was all it was—okay. It wasn’t evenreally nice. It was justwhatever. We didn’t have time, so this’ll have to do.
May: I have to work tomorrow Sarah said she’s going to research the local aviaries and maybe make some calls do you want me to come over tomorrow night
Fondness clutched my heart in a vise and my lips quirked up as warmth shot down my arm. Her texts were probably the cutest thing about May. I typed back a simple ‘yes’.
May: good okay because I really need some destressing and this massage is great and all but I cant ask the lady to pinch me or anything weird
My smile widened at the rant. I thought on it for a moment, dipped my cracker and took a bite. The guac was ash on my tongue, my mind too focused on the memory of Friday morning. Somewhere in my phone, I had a picture of the pretty, dark bruise on May’s abdomen. She’d sent it to me from the bathroom of her workplace before ghosting me for three days.
Oran: You’re right. You can’t. That’s my thing. I have a surprise for you tomorrow. Look forward to it.
