“Pip, wait,” he ordered.
Wait for what? More humiliation? Pass.
I started up the stairs of the building. Did I mention living on the top floor with no elevator really sucked?
Behind me, a car door slammed, and the cab sped away.
I was almost to the stairwell when Hiro stormed inside. He spared a glance at the grimy, germ-infested floor and grimaced. I paused, glancing down at his bare feet, but remembered I was mad and disappeared into the tiny shaft filled with rickety boards.
Grabbing the railing, I used it to haul myself up while at the same time trying not to let it have all my weight because this thing was one nail away from detaching from the wall and taking me down.
Something grabbed me from behind and yanked. I gasped, grip tightening automatically on the rotten, splinter-infested excuse for support, but as predicted, it wrenched off the wall, and both of us went flailing.
Fortunately, something solid stopped me, but the railing kept going, scraping against the already beaten-up wall andslamming into the door leading into the lobby.
FYI: The “lobby” of my building was a narrow strip of tile that smelled like mold, urine, and something I really hoped wasn’t death.
It used to smell a lot nicer before Ms. Dorothy died. I was pretty sure she’d spritz some perfume out her door on a regular basis. It kinda smelled like bathroom spray, but anything was better than moldy pee.
But then she died, and the EMTs had to come carry out her body. Then our landlord, Larry, threw out all her stuff. That’s when I rescued Hercules, Spike, and Harold Jr. Anyway, after that, the death smell took over.
For a while, I worried they didn’t actually take her body, but Larry assured me they did.
“Would you hold still?” Hiro griped, adjusting the grip he had on me.
That’s when I realized he was carrying me bridal style up the stairs. Brain fog was coming in hot, making it harder to focus and my thoughts more random. I should have been more alert, especially in Hiro’s arms, but I was growing tired.
“Put me down.”
“If I put you down now, we might both plummet through a portal to hell.”
“The wood isn’t that rotten,” I argued, even though I’d had the same thought once or twice.
“Please, it’s so decayed not even starving termites would risk a bite.”
“The railing was just old.”
He snorted. “It was old in 1930. Now, toothpicks havemore resilience.”
“I didn’t invite you up.”
The sound of splintering wood cut off my words, and the arms holding me tensed as Hiro stumbled.
Gasping, my arms locked around his neck, and I shoved my face into his throat.
“Easy, baby. I got you.” He spoke quietly, the note of reassurance in his tone instantly calming me.
I pulled away, but he made a noise and pushed my face back into the column of his throat. “One of the steps gave way, but we’re fine.”
“But your foot,” I said, trying to pull back again.
“Is fine,” he murmured, fingers threading into my hair.
“You aren’t even wearing shoes.” I worried, guilt saturating my insides.
“This is nothing.”
I rubbed my nose against his clavicle. I sort of felt like crying again.
