Page 52 of Forbidden You

I’m a little disappointed he won’t let me drive. As much as I tease him every single day, I feel like we’re also developing a friendship, and I thought that we’ve established some trust between us.

“It’s not you. I don’t trust anyone with this car,” he explains, as if he can hear my thoughts.

“Not even Rae?”

“No.”

“Jensen?”

“Especially not Jensen.” A smile forms in the corner of my mouth, pleased with that answer.

“How come?” My voice is calm and free from judgment, a sincere curiosity etching through.

“It’s my first car.”

A brow arches, letting his words settle in my mind as I wonder if he means that literally.

I point at my seat. “This is your first car?Ever?”

He nods, opening his mouth to tell me the backstory, I think, when his phone starts to ring over the Bluetooth. The screen on the dashboard says Peartree Park.

“Shit,” he mutters before answering the call. “Hello?”

“Hi Bodi, it’s Sheila.” A woman’s voice echoes through the car, a sting of jealousy knitting my brows together, wondering who Sheila is.

“Good evening, Sheila.”

“I’m sorry, but your father has been really aggressive in the last few hours. We had to sedate him, but we can’t get him out of this state. He’s demanding to see you. We would like you to come over to make sure he doesn’t keep up all the other residents for the rest of the night.”

“I’ll be right there.” He hangs up the phone, his jaw clenched. “I’m sorry. I’ll bring you home and you can order some food.” The words leave his lips as if it’s hard for him to voice and I’m not sure if it’s because he didn’t want me to know or because his requested presence falls heavy on his heart.

He probably doesn’t want me there. This is a private matter. He probably wants to deal with this alone, and not have me hovering around him.

But when I catch his strained expression, I get the sense that dealing with this by himself is the last thing he wants to do, and I push my self doubt aside.

“You don’t have to,” I offer. “It sounded urgent. I don’t mind coming with you.”

He twists his head to mine with a surprised expression. “You sure?”

I shoot him an understanding smile. “Of course.”

He pushes out a breath that makes me want to believe it’s from relief, and he gives me a slight nod before we continue the rest of the ride in silence.

Whatever is going on with his dad, it sounded serious. It also sounded like something he’s been dealing with for a while, and since all his friends live out of state, I’m guessing he’s carrying that burden by himself.

I don’t want him to feel alone, especially not when I’m right here, and he’s doing exactlythat—making me feel less alone.

When we get to what looks like a retirement home, I follow behind him, feeling unsure. It’s already dark out and the building is poorly lit, indicating most of its residents have already called it a night. We enter, then walk to the back of the building toward the elevators and he gives me a tight smile while pressing the button to go up.

I have no clue what to expect. Is his father ill? Is he bed bound?

“I don’t know how he’ll be. Maybe you should wait down here.”

I don’t want to impose myself, so I do my best to give him a kind expression without any expectations. “Are you saying that for me or for you?”

I want to respect his wishes, understanding he might not feel comfortable with me around when he doesn’t exactly know his dad’s condition. Or, I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that I have never met his dad.

“For you.” He doesn’t have to think of his answer and butterflies swirl in my stomach. My eyes scan the now empty common area, feeling like someone could be lurking in the dark. I’ve watched plenty of horror movies. It never ends well for the person being alone in some big empty space.

---