“That’s what I thought. She’s a bit… nervy… she gonna freak out with me here?”
Damn good question. I didn’t want anything, or anyone, keeping her away from me. Has-Been would intimidate her less than Rocket, but two of them in here? Who knew. At least she wasn’t due here today. At least as far as I knew. I rested my hand over my phone in my pocket. Why was I suddenly considering messaging her to make sure her ride was behaving?
“Has is just parking up,” Rocket said, making me jump, since the fucker was now trying to hover over my shoulder, probably because I’d ignored his last question. I just didn’t have an answer to that one yet.
“And you’re making out with me why?”
He barked another laugh as he backed off with his hands lifted. I headed for my counter, and that’s when he dropped his next fucking demand.
“You’ve got good security here, right? My kit’s fucking valuable.” Yeah like mine wasn’t. Like my customer’s treasured possessions weren’t. Still… a smirk suddenly crossed my face, and I answered in the only way I could think of that’d piss him off.
“Why don’t I get Grease and his old lady in, to look at improving my setup?” I’d been planning on it anyway, but since I knew Grease and Rocket had some kind of ongoing beef, it was a twofer.
“Fuck.”
I dragged my phone out and leaned on the counter, scrolling through for Grease’s number, and that’s when a message pinged in.
Caroline: Thank you for helping me yesterday. When would you like me to repay you with boring coffee?
Well, damn. Suddenly I barely even remembered Rocket existed, because she’d messaged me. I knew how anxious she could be, so I recognised that it took balls for her to do this. I checked my watch, and checked the schedule, even though I knew that shit by heart.
Me: I’m free after three today. You want me to meet you somewhere?
Has-Been strode into my shop then, his eyes taking in my sweet little setup in a calculated gaze, and he whistled softly.
“Fuck me. This place is too nice to have Rocket in it, man. He’ll cheapen it.”
“Eat me.”
I grinned, feeling lighter and more in control of my shit, even while I waited for her response.
“I know, but he begged so prettily. I’m going to be out in the bay waiting for a collection, so shout if anyone comes in.”
Has offered me a mini salute, and headed straight for the coffee machine. Coffee. Suddenly I really fucking wanted some too. But only with her.
Caroline
ISTARED AT HIS message, my fingers trembling around my phone.
Harley: I’m free after three today. You want me to meet you somewhere?
I should have been replying, but suddenly I was unsure of myself, and wondering if I’d even be able to hold a conversation with him. Why was I like this? Why couldn’t I just navigate the normal human reactions that most people did so effortlessly. Like Harley himself did so easily. Suddenly there was a time limit on it, and that was freaking me out. I thought he’d say something like ‘anytime’ or even the less, and more, preferable ‘it was just an expression’.
I wanted to see him again, and I was freaking out just at the prospect of it. What if I reverted into myself and sat silently, while he wished he’d never met me?
Oh god. I had to do something. I checked the time on my phone and somehow nearly twenty minutes had passed since his message. Twenty minutes of me agonising over how to reply to a simple message. Ugh.
I swallowed hard, and opened up the message again, which had timed out, and given me a black screen during my inactivity. Not that my mind was inactive. God, if only.
Me: Like a coffee shop?
As soon as I sent it, I growled at myself, tossing the phone on the sofa and getting up, pacing back and forth, mentally beratingmyself for being so dumb. Yeah, a coffee shop. That place where people get coffee!
I pictured him staring at his phone in disbelief, wondering who the psycho was who’d just sent that message, but my phone buzzed again.
Harley: There’s one down the road from my workshop, meet at half three?
Wow. He just skated right over my dumbassery, and moved us forward. How was he not rolling his eyes and calling me a moron? Of course, he may well have done that before he replied, but I honestly couldn’t see him doing it.
