“Okay, talk about right to it.” He shook his head. “How about slow down and give me some details? Who was this guy?”
I told him everything, from the time I first saw Asher to the time I woke up and he was gone. And by everything, I meant the bigstuff, I didn’t share the intimate details. He knew I’d never been with anyone before and respected that boundary I set. I couldn’t begin to imagine what he’d think if I told him I bit the guy. Who does that?
“Well, at least it was fun,” he said. He didn’t sound like he fully believed that was enough himself, but he was right.
It could’ve been a whole lot worse. The guy could’ve been rough or a thief or into choking or something. All things considered, leaving with a broken heart was by far one of the best possible results.
“Your room looks cute.” And like the awesome friend he was, he changed the subject, which was exactly what I needed.
“Yeah, it’s not too bad. Speaking of rooms, where are you?” I’d been so focused on myself, I hadn’t realized he was in what looked like maybe a coffee shop.Please let him be wearing earbuds, and not have the whole place know what I’m saying.
“Oh, I originally called because I was bored. I’m staying with my uncle for a few days and there’s not much fun to do around here.”
“Are you on vacation?”
“Family obligation. You know how it is.”
I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to push him, because really, it was none of my business what he was up to. And now that I was funded because of his uncle, it felt extra invasive.
“What is there to do where you are?” he asked. “Is it as boring as here when you aren’t working?”
“Yeah, pretty much. But I did go snowshoeing today, so that was fun-ish.” If you left out the part where I was terrified of the one creature I was here for.
“I should’ve come with you.” He leaned back in his chair.
“Why? You don’t like science, you don’t like the cold, and you don’t like being away from the city.”
“While all those things are true, I do like to be nosy, and it sounds like there’s a lot of tea in this town. At least when it comes to you, bestie.”
“Tea?” someone asked. I recognized the voice, and my stomach dropped.
He turned quickly, and with him went the phone. His uncle was in the background. Great.
“Not that kind of tea, Uncle Frank. I’m on the phone with Weston.”
“Oh, well, I needed you to go fix the trash.”
“Fix the trash now?” There were some times when Stevenson sounded like a spoiled teenager. This was one of them.
“Yeah, the bag snagged. It’s everywhere, and the housekeeper isn’t in today. You know how my back is.”
“I’ll call you back, Wes.”
“Okay, I’ll?—”
“No, no need for that,” his uncle’s voice boomed. “It’s only going to take you a few minutes. Give me the phone. I’ll keep him company.”
I did not know what was happening right now, but it was weird. Why couldn’t he just call me back?
But Stevenson just said, “Fine,” and handed the phone over to his uncle, and I was stuck making small talk with my benefactor… investor? I didn’t know what he was, because none of this had gone down any of the normal channels.
“You look tired,” Uncle Frank said. “You working too hard already?”
“What? No. I’m fine.” The man did not need to know about my love life, or was it lust life since it was a bang-and-go?
Argh, past-me was the worst decision-maker ever.
“No, I mean, yeah. I was up late last night.”
