I twist around to give him a death glare that only causes his smirk to widen. The jerk is enjoying outing me to Charlie.
Her forehead wrinkles in confusion. “What are you scared of, Jojo? You know I’ll beat their asses if they even think about hurting you.”
I huff a laugh. I know she’d absolutely try to beat them up, but I doubt all five-foot-three of her stands a chance against any of the guys.
I shrug, not knowing how to explain any of it. Or if I even want to. “I’m just not ready, Charlie. I’m not ready to date or jump into a relationship so soon after my last one fell apart.”
More like imploded spectacularly.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to go through that again, and I’m honestly fine with it. I’d rather be alone than get hurt like that again.
Charlie’s ocean-blue eyes soften in sympathy as she hugs the green velvet pillow closer to her. “It’s been seven months, babe. You’re going to have to start moving on eventually. You can’t hide away from the world forever.”
“I know. I just… can’t yet.” My voice breaks, and I look away from her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see something that looks a lot like pity cross Coops’s face, and I hate it.
“Okay, Jojo,” she whispers. “Just, don’t let opportunities pass you by because you’re waiting for the ‘right’ time. They seem like really good guys, and I know you like them, despite what you say. They’re not gonna wait around forever, so, just… don’t take too long.”
I swallow hard at that. I know there’s not a chance in hell that the guys and I would work as anything other than friends. I’m way too broken for that. But it still feels like my heart is being ripped out of my chest at the thought of them with anyone else.
Whatever Charlie sees on my face has her hopping up and dashing out of the room. She returns a minute later with her arms loaded up with chocolate and candy. Plopping down next to me, she shoves the snacks into my lap and turns on the TV.
She puts on one of our favorite movies from when we were younger,The Parent Trap, and wraps an arm around me. “It’s all gonna be okay. You’ll see.”
I don’t say anything, because I want to believe her, at least for a little bit. The three of us get sucked into the movie for a couple of hours.
I enjoy soaking up the time just hanging out with my best friends. It feels like we’ve hardly gotten to see each other for the past few weeks, each of us busy with our own lives.
By the time the movie’s over, the sun has set, and it’s time to head out. After saying my goodbyes, I suit up and hop onto my bike. Not feeling like going back to an empty apartment, I decide to ride around for a while, Charlie’s words about not waiting too long bouncing around in my mind as I do so.
CHAPTER 24
REMY
“Ghost” by Minute After Midnight is blasting in my helmet as I cruise down the highway when it cuts out for a moment.
“Rider connected,” a disembodied female voice announces in my helmet.
Weird.
I know for a fact that none of the guys are out on the road right now. They’re busy taking care of business, but there was no way I was going to miss the monthly stunt meet for work. How many people does it take to torture information out of a fae, anyway?
Colt was less than pleased by me dipping before the job, but that’s nothing new. My twin disapproves of most of my life choices. It’s like he thinks I’m still that scared boy I was after the attack.
But I’m not.
It’s been a long time since our mom was killed and I was fucked up in the process. While I can’t say that I’m healed or any shit like that, I’m grown and living my life the best I can. I don’t need my older brother babysitting me at every moment of the day or passing judgment on my choices.
What I need is to be treated like an equal in our valor. Rook and Hal do a good job of that, but Colt and Azrael still act like I’m their annoying kid brother. While I’ll never be as strong as Azrael or Colt, I’m an accomplished fighter in my own right and have taken down hundreds of fae. I can hold my own against the world, and I just wish they’d realize it.
Sighing, I look around for whoever I connected with. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Colt skipped out on work to follow me to make sure I’m okay.
While I thankfully don’t see his bike anywhere, I do spot what looks a hell of a lot like Lark’s bike a ways in front of me. The black leather jacket, black jeans, and chestnut braids flying behind her make me pretty sure that it is, in fact, Lark.
My heart starts pounding so hard at my excitement that I can barely hear myself think.
But that’s just how it is when I see her. My already hyper self goes into overdrive until I’m practically bouncing off the walls whenever I’m around her. I wish I could cool it a little because I know I’ve embarrassed myself in front of her, but oh well.
