14
Slade
Being an adult was highly overrated. Three nights into having a “real” job and every muscle in my body ached. I had assumed working at Club 83 would be a cakewalk once Eli explained I would be a glorified gofer. After all, I had always done more than my share of loading and unloading equipment into the back of Jesse’s van whenever we had gigs. That did jack shit to prepare me for hauling cases of beer from the storage room up to the bar at warp speed. Eli pulled me aside at one point to tell me it wasn’t a race, but if this was the only job I could get, I was damn well going to prove I was the best bar back he had ever seen. Plus, Jordan and Max seemed to appreciate how quickly I retrieved whatever they hollered out they needed.
I glared at the sign taped to the front of the elevators in my building. It was too fucking late—or early—to deal with the stairs. What was four in the morning classified as anyway? Not nearly as much fun when you were getting off work as it’d be if you’d been out drinking, that’s for damn sure. I had run my ass off for ten hours, and I was soaked in stale beer—thanks to a mishap on my way to the dish area. All I wanted to do was stumble into my apartment and fall flat on my face. Was that too much to ask?
Apparently, it fucking was, because the cheap-ass owners of my shit hole building couldn’t be bothered to fix shit when it broke.
With a resigned sigh, I trudged to the end of the hall, throwing open the door to the stairwell. On my trek up the stairs, I became painfully aware of muscles I wasn’t even aware I had.
Did I mention I fucking hurt?
I let out a sigh of relief and tossed my head back when I reached my apartment. Less than a minute and I’d be able to get out of my damp, smelly shirt and the boots I needed to replace as soon as I got my first paycheck.
And just because the universe felt like kicking me squarely in the dick tonight, my key got jammed in the lock. I couldn’t do a damn thing. A shower and my bed were just on the other side of the door, but I couldn’t get there. I kicked the door hard enough to leave an imprint of my combat boot.
“Not like that’s going to do a damn thing anyway,” I muttered to myself. I took a step back twisting my fingers through my hair as I sucked in a few slow breaths. “Come on, man. Keep it together. It won’t always be this bad.”
I stepped forward, trying the lock again. Nothing. And now, the lock I’d reported no less than half a dozen times, was holding my keys hostage.
Fuck it. Maybe I didn’t need a bed. If they couldn’t maintain shit around here, I’d sleep in the hall. I fucking dared anyone to say a word. Hell, I hoped one of my busybody neighbors got the super down here, just so I could give the lazy fuck a piece of my mind. Yeah, that seemed like a damned good plan.
Mind made up, I slipped out of my hoodie before settling on the floor, knees pulled up to my chest. It was uncomfortable as hell, and I probably wouldn’t be able to move tomorrow, but I was too damn tired to keep fighting with the door. And if I kicked in the door, which I probably could without too much effort, I’d have to worry about someone coming in snooping for shit to steal. The joke would be on them because, other than my TV and gaming system, I didn’t have shit.
I yanked out the elastic holding back my hair, allowing it to fall around my face, shielding some of the sterile light from overhead. It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.
* * *
“What are you doing out here?”The deep, pissed voice sounded faintly familiar. I flipped to my other side, hoping he’d realize that was a stupid as hell question and leave me be.
I’d been wrong. Once I laid down and rolled my hoodie up like a pillow, sleeping in the hall wasn’t all that uncomfortable. I swatted a hand in the air when I felt the toe of a shoe poking me in the ribs.
“Go away. Sleeping,” I mumbled.
“I see that.” The asshole who was trying to wake me actually fucking laughed. Ha-fucking-ha. Look at the little lost boy who can’t even get into his apartment. Not in the mood for his judgment, I curled into a ball, silently pleading for him to give up and walk away.
“Slade.” The voice was closer now. And with the way my name rolled past his lips, I knew instantly who’d caught me. I scrubbed a hand over my eyes, trying to wake up. “Come on, sweetheart. Wake up and tell me what happened.”
When I opened my eyes, Jack hovered over me, his brow furrowed with either irritation or concern. I hoped for the latter, but given our few interactions, it was more likely the former.
“Couldn’t get into the apartment. Stupid key got stuck in the stupid lock. I was too tired to fight with it,” I explained. My brain was still foggy enough I struggled to form complete thoughts.
What god-awful time was it, anyway?
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because it was four in the morning and I didn’t think you’d want me bothering you with my problems?” My response came out as more of a question than an answer. It didn’t make sense that he assumed I would wake him up in the middle the night for something like this.
“You figured wrong,” Jack responded. He gently pushed me upright, and I watched as he slid down the wall next to me. When he draped an arm over my shoulder, I reflexively leaned into his side. His body was solid and warm. I didn’t realize how cold I’d been until I felt the heat of his body searing mine.
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s Monday,” Jack responded as if that was any sort of explanation. I was still too damn exhausted for riddles. I lifted my head from his shoulder and scowled at him. “I told you the last time we saw one another that we would spend today together.”
Was I supposed to admit I hadn’t believed him? And when the few text messages I sent trying to strike up a conversation with him went unanswered, I had been even more certain his suggestion that we meet up after the weekend was simply a courtesy to keep me from realizing he was trying to ghost on me.
“I’m sure you have better things to do.” I reached back and gathered my hair into a low ponytail. “Don’t feel like you have to be here just because you made an off-handed comment about it.”
