Jinx’s laugh bounced through the closing door. “My man!”
I lifted the phone off its receiver and brought it to my ear, thinking about Jinx’s words. People were talking about my poetry; my words were out there in the world while I was isolated in here. The irony laughable, but my vision still blurred from my eyes glossing over.
And then it hit me …
I’d touched hundreds of souls.
After punching Travis’s number into the receiver, I pinched the bridge of my nose to fight back the waves threatening to crash.
“You’re a fucking legend,” Travis greeted.
My hand found the wall as I leaned into it, my legs growing weak. “What are the stats looking like?” I managed to get out, “hundreds?”
“No, Ollie. Thousands! They want to do merchandise. I told them no merch until you’re released, but they’re getting antsy. Wanna get it out now while people are talking and schedule a signing.”
“You know I can’t do anything for another six months. They know where I’m at.” I didn’t intend for all this to happen. All I wanted was to make a little money for the house—for Mia. Get enough funds together to travel and collect people’s stories from around the world. “Go ahead and approve the merchandise. You have the okay from me. But, don’t go overboard.”
“Alright, alright. I have you, my friend.”
There was a deep sigh on both ends of the phone.
“How you holding up,” he asked. “You sound different.”
Travis had never heard or seen me at my normal self, and I was surprised he’d noticed as soon as he did. “Things are good. Can’t say much, calls recorded, but I’m exactly where I want to be.” Off the pills, no withdrawal, with Mia.
“You sound happy … you sound good. Summer wants to paint the walls at the cottage. She understands it isn’t ours, but she’s excited for you. Wants to help out any way she can, you know?”
A thousand questions went through my head, starting with if Mia liked to paint, and what color Mia would choose. This was her house as much as it was mine, though Travis did not know of that. “What color are the walls now?”
“A rubbish orange. It has to go.”
“Paint everything white. Brighten the place up, alright?” Mia would decide once she stepped foot in her new home. As long as she was standing beside me when I walked through the door, I could care less what color the bloody walls were.
The door closed behind me as Travis agreed into the phone. Lifting off the wall, I turned my head to see Maddie pick up the phone beside me. “I have to go. I’ll ring you next week.”
“Just to be clear, yes on—
I hung up the phone before Travis could finish his sentence. The last thing I needed was for Maddie to listen in on my conversation. “What are you doing here?” My eyes slid to the window to see Jinx relaxed in his chair. “This isn’t your scheduled time.”
“Had it changed.” She took a step closer, and I took a step back. “Why ya so jumpy?” she asked, and I shook my head and trudged past her. Nothing good ever came from Maddie and me in the same room alone together, and as if I spoke too soon, her arm slithered around my waist to stop me. I pulled back and turned to face her, my face reddening, and my jaw clenching. “See? So jumpy.”
Sinister thoughts crossed my mind, a thousand things I could say to belittle or hurt her, but Maddie’s eyes shifted, and I’d seen something inside I’d never noticed before—desperation.
But I couldn’t put a finger on why she was so desperate.
She didn’t look like she wanted this—any of this.
The four walls around us inched closer as I studied her. “What do you want with me?” I finally asked, getting to the bottom of her intentions. Her forehead creased and arms folded over her chest as if she was hiding from the question. “Don’t make me ask you again.”
Maddie’s gaze dropped to the floor, and she dragged in a breath.
When she looked back up, her features twisted into the rat I’d always seen her as.
“Come on, let’s get out of here and talk in my room. Mia’s with Conway.”
“You know Mia’s schedule now?” I raised a brow. “What do you know her schedule for?” Maddie looked away again, a sign she was thinking of a lie, and I was already over this. “This is your last warning. Stay away.”
I passed her for the second time with long strides straight for the door, slamming it behind me. “All good, mate.” I held up my hands, and Jinx shook his head.
