Page 50 of Indigo Sky

"He said he wants to get some work done around the house and whatever."

"I should stop by soon and say hi to them."

I gestured behind me. "They're home now if—"

"Nah," he was quick to say. "It's all right. I, um … I don't really have the time right now. But tell them I said hi, okay?"

"Oh, sure. I will."

I thought he'd leave then, thought he'd use his excuse of little time to get back in his car, but he stood there, sniffling and pulling out his pack of cigarettes. I had quit cold turkey when I moved back home, knowing damn well there was no way I'd get away with it while living with my parents. But seeing him pull out a cigarette now brought those old cravings back like it'd been two days since my last smoke and not two years.

He caught my gaze and held the pack out to me. "You want one?"

I gnawed at my bottom lip for a second, weighing out my options, then shook my head. "Nah, I'm good."

Nate looked doubtful. "You look like you're about to start drooling," he said, smirking as he placed the cigarette between his lips. "You quit or somethin'?"

"I quit a while ago."

"Because of your parents?" That smirk only stretched, his eyes glinting with amusement. "You know, your room is still open. If you wanted to come back, I mean."

He lit up and watched me carefully, peering through a cloud of smoke swirling from the end of his cigarette. I peered right back. Was that the whole point of this impromptu visit? To get me to move back in? I couldn't tell, but the suggestion left me bothered. I wanted to ask him to leave, but I still wasn't ready to make him believe I never wanted to see his unhinged ass again.

So, instead, I dropped my gaze and shook my head, feigning embarrassment. "I really can't, man. I'm still just trying to make ends meet, you know? Working odd jobs here and there. Nothing super steady."

It was a lie. I'd been working at the gym for several months now with no plans of quitting, and the job at Midnight Lotus was going well so far. I wasn't making quite enough to live comfortably on my own. With a roommate, however, it'd be no problem.

But there was no way in hell I was moving back in with Nate. Even if it was a good place at a crazy-good price.

"Hmm," Nate muttered, sucking at the end of his smoke and staring up at the sky. He pinched it between his pointer and middle finger and pulled it from his lips. "Yeah, I feel you. Well, I just thought I'd ask. I kinda miss you, you know. It hasn't been the same around the apartment these past couple of years."

"Yeah," I sympathized, nodding. But I said nothing else.

He released a forlorn sigh and dropped the cigarette to the asphalt. It was crushed beneath his boot, and he left it there as he clapped a hand against my shoulder.

"I'm sure I'll see you around though," he said, pulling me in for a one-armed hug.

"Definitely." I reciprocated. "Don't forget to stop by and say hi to Mom and Dad."

"Oh, I will," he replied, taking a step back and smiling in a way that made me almost miss him.

Then, he turned to walk down the driveway toward his car. Relief washed over me, and I returned my attention to Dad's Toyota. But Nate quickly pulled it back.

"Hey, you know, I was just thinking. We should go out soon. Remember that club we went to forever ago? The one where you jizzed in your fuckin' pants?" He cackled and wagged his finger at me. "Man, what was the name of that place? Midnight … Midnight something …"

I swallowed as unease swirled in my gut. I mustered a smile and laughed, pretending to be clueless. "Oh, uh … I don't—"

He snapped his fingers. "Midnight Lotus! That was it. We should go. Have you been there recently? Maybe that bitch is still there. God, can you imagine? What kinda sorry slut sticks around at a fuckin' strip club for that long?"

Then, before I could reply, he chuckled again and waved the whole topic away with a flick of his wrist. "Ah, anyway, I'll see you real soon, Rev."

He strolled casually back to his truck, his hands tucked deep in his pockets. He got in, slammed the door, and drove away without once looking back.

But I watched his every move, half expecting him to turn around at any second, point a pair of finger guns at me, and say,Gotcha!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Saul was out for the week after spraining his wrist from fighting off Tyson, the crazed asshole. Sam called me up and asked if I would mind filling in for him until he was back in working order.

---