10
Simon
The phone went to voicemail. Simon tore it from his ear, looked at the display like it had betrayed him, then returned it in time to hear the beep. Caught by surprise, he spent the first few seconds stuttering through sounds until he figured out how to speak. “H-Hey, um, H, it’s… it’s Simon. Hi. I’m sorry to call you now, and I know you’re busy, but I needed to tell you that I figured out what’s going on. I know that Evie is missing. My, um, my brother told me that it’s all over the internet, and that’sterrible.I can’t… can’t even imagine, um, how that must feel. I’m super sorry.”
Simon stopped and took a breath, but it sounded more like a wheeze. Embarrassed, he covered his face with his unoccupied hand and continued. “So, um… so about the Evie thing? My little brother went to Geek Out Con and it turns out that he brought Evie home. Small world, right? So you don’t need to freak out anymore, because she’s here safe with me, and we’re totally not creepy or anything.”
Oh my god, who says that?Simon winced.He’s going to think you’re a total creep now. Only creeps call themselves not creepy.
“So, she’s safe! Woohoo. Um. And you can come to collect her any time. We’re just… waiting here. You already have my address, probably, because I gave you the coordinates, but if you don’t want to have to, um, you know, figure it out on your own, we’re in apartment 401 on the top floor. We’re all super chill and totally not going to fight you. Just, you know, come knock and we’ll let you in and everything will be great.”
Why did he turn into such an idiot when Harlow was in the picture? Simon scrunched his nose.
“So, uh, that’s all I wanted to tell you. She’s okay, and she’s here, and it’s… it’s all going to be okay. So just drop on by and I can, um… make you a coffee or something. Okay. Um. Bye.”
Simon ended the call, then tossed the phone nervously across the couch, wanting nothing more to do with it. The erratic beat of his heart had increased since he’d come into the living room, and a thin sheen of stress sweat coated his forehead. How long was it going to be until Harlow arrived? Ten minutes? Twenty?
It both felt like far too long and not long enough.
How was he supposed to prepare for the moment his fantasy became real life?
The moment his heart shattered?
Simon removed himself from the couch and exited into the hall. Jayne and Parker had gone, likely in Shep’s room to visit with Evie, if the sound of distant conversation was any indication of their whereabouts. Simon elected to join them, pausing at the bedroom door for just a moment. From where he stood, he was able to hear the conversation happening on the other side.
Evie was speaking. “So I just… I don’t know. It’s been really tough, like,reallytough. And when I needed someone to understand, Shep was there.”
“I dunno,” Shep muttered. He sounded embarrassed. “It wasn’t like I was trying to be there or anything. I was just being a decent human being, you know?”
“So we started DMing. Usually I don’t do that, but it was like… God, it’s embarrassing.” Evie laughed nervously. “It was like I could feel how sincere he was through the screen. I get so many messages that are just people being pigs, or spam bots, or trolls, but I got such a good feeling from Shep’s message, and I thought he looked kind of cute…”
“You didn’t,” Shep said with a small, pleased laugh. “You totally just messaged me back because I was the one nice guy who’d ever bothered to check up on you.”
“Not true! You’re super cute. I thought so then, and I think so now.”
“You guys are giving me tooth decay, you’re so sweet,” Jayne said, interrupting their conversation. “I mean, neither of you are off the hook for what you’ve done, but I’m still feeling a little mushy about what you both did for each other.”
“So you’re not going to make her go?” Shep asked hopefully.
Jayne snorted. “We’ll talk about that when Simon comes back.”
It was going to be Simon’s job to be the bad guy, wasn’t it? The one who had to be stern and who’d earn all the scorn for it. He set a hand on the wall and hesitated outside the door, wondering if he should leave them be. Shep had never opened up to him—never let Simon into his head like he’d let Jayne in. The message was clear: Simon wasn’t ever going to be enough. He’d forever be the one on the outside, the unwelcome voice of responsibility who’d keep their family together, but who’d be despised for it.
Discomfort tightened in his chest. His fingers curled against the wall.
This was the place in life he’d agreed to take, but it didn’t make overcoming his feelings any easier.
“Where is Simon, anyway?” Shep asked. He sounded largely unconcerned.
“He went to make a phone call,” Jayne replied. “He mentioned something about Evie’s dad, and that he had to get in touch.”
Silence descended upon the room, and with it came tension that Simon could feel all the way out in the hall. Terrified to interrupt, he stood frozen on the spot, listening.
“My dad?” Evie spoke slowly, like she hoped she hadn’t heard correctly.
Jayne hummed in agreement. “Mhmm. Simon’s gone to take care of it.”
“I don’t understand.” There was an edge to Evie’s voice. “You’re saying that Simon knows my dad? And now my dad… knows I’m here?”
