“Thanks,” I muttered, grabbing a mug.
“Have you seen Cal around?” I asked, trying to play it cool.
“No, dear. He hasn’t come by yet today. Are you expecting him?”
Well…yeah. I was always kind ofexpectinghim. Whether I invited him or not, he just had a way of showing up.
“No. It’s fine. Was just wondering if you had seen him is all.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I nearly spilled my coffee in my hurry to check it. Ripping it out of my jeans, my heart sank again when I realized it wasn’t him. I frowned at an unknown number, feeling even more concerned when I realized it was Naomi.
Unknown:
Morning! It’s Naomi! I hope you don’t mind; I got your number off your website. Haven’t heard from Cal yet this morning; he must have had a busy night. Just wanted to let you know I’m on my way! (Got the address off your site too!)
Ryan:
Oh, hey, Naomi. Of course I don’t mind. Do you need a ride? I can come pick you up.
Naomi:
Nah, I’ve already called an Uber. Be there soon!
Well, at least he wasn’t just avoidingme.His sister hadn’t heard from him either. However, that just made me even more worried that something had happened to him.
The more time that passed, the more anxious I got. Naomi arrived to help me with the makeup, and I had to admit her presence made me feel calmer.
I gave her a quick tour, and she set up her makeup on the kitchen table, ordering me to sit down in one of the chairs so she could get to work.
“Don’t worry,” she said, smiling at me sweetly. “This is normal. He’s likely just undercover. He goes dark sometimes. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“If you say so,” I grumbled.
But Iwasworried.
I hated this.
What was more, the amount of anxiety I was feeling was making it even more difficult for me to lie to myself about my feelings for him.
What would I do if he never came back?
How could I just move on and pretend I had never met that fucking psycho who had made me come so hard I saw literal stars?
Was I just supposed to go back to business as usual?
“Do you need help with anything? Cal told me you run these things pretty much by yourself. I don’t have anything to do today, so if you need a hand, let me know,” Naomi said kindly once she was done.
She began packing up her makeup, and I gave her a grin that I had hoped was convincing.
“No, I’ll be fine. The funeral today will be held in the crematorium, so I don’t have the extra hassle of dealing with transportation, but if you want to hang around, feel free to. I can drive you back home after the service.”
Naomi beamed at me. “Really? As long as you’re sure I’m not imposing.”
“Not at all. My mother is in the garden if you want to head out there to read. It’s a beautiful day.”
She nodded and nearlyskippedoutside, and I found myself smiling after her. She was such a sweet fucking kid, and her upbeat nature reminded me of Cal.
My gut twisted again at the thought of my missing psycho. I checked my phone, doing my best not to spiral over the fact that he still hadn’t even read my messages.
