That moment was why she said she started carrying around her treasures.
My heart broke for her. For me. For us.
“I can’t just—” I said, the struggle and indecision loud in my voice.
“You can. She wouldn’t want you to.” He let me go with that, just as we saw a teacher walking down the hall towards us. I moved as quickly as I could toward the door, and just as I hit the handle, Roxie had turned to look at me. Our eyes met across thespace and she shook her head slightly, telling me ‘no’. Telling me to stay and not make this harder than it was.
Then, the image that haunts my dreams—or nightmares, it depends on the night—comes. Roxie blew me a kiss as a soft smile crossed her lips and a tear dropped from her eye.
She had cried. Criedfor me.Because she wanted to stay here. With me.
And every single moment that’s passed since then, I’ve kicked my own ass for not doing more.
And Asher fucking knows it.
“Leave it alone, Asher,” I growl, pulling myself out of the memory. He’s not going to, I know that already and honestly, I wouldn’t be leaving him alone if the roles were reversed. “What can I do? When do I start?”
Asher nods, understanding that I’m done talking about Roxie. We’ve had a few drunk nights where I’ve confessed that I see her sometimes, and that it’s too hard to think about her. I know Asher remembers that when his eyes widen and he clears his throat.
“What are you doing today?” Asher asks with a lazy smile and picking up the boxes. “I could use some help organizing.”
A relieved breath leaves my lips and I nod. “I can do that,brother.” I hold my hand out to take the boxes and get to work.
A few weeks later and the shop is thriving, honestly. Asher’s killing it marketing wise, and I don’t know how he’s not burnt out. I’m still not able to fight, the concussion’s been lingeringaround, but thank fuck everything healed straight. Well, my nose is now a little crooked, but I think it’s fine.
I’ve been working overtime at the office where I work during the day, but they’ve let me pick up extra shifts at night as a security guard too. I’ve been picking up as many shifts as they let me, as well as working atAshesas much as I can. More than what Asher pays me for, that’s for sure.
I’m not used to empty time. And I can’t afford to have time where I’m not making money somehow.
Ring, ring!My phone starts to ring in my pocket and I know this won’t be good. No one ever calls me with good news.
I see Mario’s name on the screen and groan.
“What’s wrong?” Asher asks, coming up to the desk to get one of the legal documents we have to have everyone sign before we can tattoo them. I say ‘we’ like I’m tattooing already. Asher’s running me through an apprentice course under him so I’m hopeful I can get started sooner rather than later.
My fingers areachingto start.
I hold up the phone to show Asher and he groans like I did.
“What do you think it’ll be? Money or more money?” Asher teases, and leaves to go hand the contract to his walk-in.
Mario… He’s fallen into some dark times. That’s the only way I can describe it. Dad died and I was thrown into providing, but Mario was allowed to fall apart. And he did.
He didn’t cry, he didn’t turn mean or violent, but he did turn to people he shouldn’t have.
I can’t prove it, but I know he’s on something. He’s different when he calls me; desperate, needy, scared. When I see him, he’s strung the fuck out, jittery, and always talking much quicker than he used to. I haven’t seen anything, but I’m constantly on the lookout.
Not only that, but I’m sending more and more money each fucking month and they keep telling me it’s not enough. So something shady is going on.
Taking a deep breath, I answer the phone.
“Yeah?”
“Ty, bro, what’s up?”
“Just working, like always. What’s going on, Mario?” I ask, pinning the phone between my ear and my shoulder while I take the contracts I was printing out and start sorting them.
“You work too much, big brother. You need a night off.”
