Page 31 of Loving You

Lucas had been excited but so nervous he’d gone temporarily nonverbal. He hadn’t done that in a long while, but Bronx was happy to step in until Lucas was calmer.

And Lane didn’t seem to mind at all. Bronx put the call on speaker, and by the time Lane was finished explaining what he’d done so far in the kitchen, Lucas was fully relaxed. It hadn’t lasted though. He was getting worked up again.

“You wanna rock?” Bronx asked him.

Lucas shook his head. “Someone will see.”

“We’re in the back parking lot, and my windows are tinted,” Bronx told him softly. “And if someone cares…”

“Fuck them?” Lucas asked with a small grin.

Bronx sighed. “I mean, not the fuck part, but yeah. Fuck ’em.”

Lucas hesitated but then began to gently sway his body front to back, then side to side. The tension started easing out of his limbs—starting at his shoulders and working upward toward his neck. “I don’t want to mess up.”

“Everyone messes up at their first job. Mine was a disaster. Did I ever tell you?”

Lucas rocked a little faster now, flapping his hands gently at his sides. “No. I figured you didn’t really work until college.”

“I was sixteen. I got a job at Jack in the Box—they used to be everywhere here. I lied on my application and told them I’d worked at a McDonald’s for six months, and they never called to check. The manager said it was basically the same thing and showed me the register. There were all these buttons and complicated patterns to get the meal deals and stuff, and I didn’t understand any of it. But I told her I was totally cool. So they started me during the lunch rush.”

“Oh, damn,” Lucas breathed. His arms were looser and more limber now that he was calming down. His hands began to still, and he’d stopped rocking, just shaking his head from side to side. “Did you get fired?”

Bronx choked on a laugh. “Nah. I quit. After the third customer screamed at me, I said I had to go to the bathroom, and I walked out, got on the bus, and went home.”

Lucas slapped his hand over his mouth to cover his laugh. “Really?”

“Yep. I was an irresponsible, cowardly little shit with too much pride to ask for help. You’re definitely not like me.”

Lucas bit his cheek, making it look sunken. “I don’t know what kind of person I am. I feel like…I feel like I can’t predict myself. I can handle the most unhinged situations, then I fall apart at something as simple as ordering a coffee for myself.”

“No offense, but what unhinged situations have you been in?” Bronx asked.

Lucas shrugged. “I mean, like last fall when the guys snuck in a bunch of Jack Daniel’s to drink after the tournament…”

“I’m sorry,what?” Bronx asked.

Lucas froze and paled. “Ah ha. Ha. Ha. Diiiid I not tell you about that? Oh, well…anyway, it’s time for my shift, and?—”

“Freeze.”

Lucas did.

“Explain.”

He groaned. “I didn’t drink. My jackass teammates did. And like, metaphorically, the sight of a bunch of blind teenagers wasted on a shot of mid whiskey and trying to navigate a hotel hallway was…interesting.”

“No one told me about this,” Bronx said darkly.

“Yeah. It was kind of hushed up.”

“Youdidn’t tell me about this,” Bronx corrected.

At that, Lucas turned to face him. “No offense,” he mimicked Bronx’s former tone, “but you were already trying to keep me in a little box wrapped in bubble wrap so I couldn’t even get a paper cut. I thought if you knew thatI’d been around booze, you’d pull me out of school and make me go to one of those weird religious homeschool programs.”

Bronx covered his face and sighed. “I’m so sorry I screwed up as badly as I did. You absolutely can tell me if your friends are doing something like that. I’ll help you. I’m not going to punish you.”

Lucas softened. “I know thatnow. And part of that’s probably because you’ve got some guy you’re seeing?—”

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