Page 95 of Muted

Guiding her through the store, I grab a few more things I was missing at home as I tell her I had wanted to steal her away for the evening rather than practice. Before I make it to the checkout, I stop us while she’s playing with a bottle of water in her hands nervously.

“Is this okay with you? We don’t have to do it if you’re not comfortable. I won’t be offended or anything.” It’s true, I won’t be offended. I’m sure I’ll be disappointed, but not in her. Just that we won’t get to spend some time alone. I’m fucking aching to have her alone for a bit of time.

Susu opens her mouth to answer, but before she can, we both turn when we hear, “Vance Stoll! My God, what are you doing here?” I close my eyes in annoyance the moment I see the bleach blonde dyed hair of my mother’s good friend, Eleanor Byron.

She’s dressed to the nines, designer pantsuit, dress jacket that’s much too warm for the weather, pearls, and red lipstick that’s smudged on her upper lip. She walks to me and air kisses both of my cheeks, holding onto my arms to look up, plastering a fake smile on her face. I try not to cringe when I see more of her lipstick on her front tooth and press a kiss to her cheek.

Her perfume is cloying, and my nose twitches to get the scent of geraniums and patchouli away before I start sneezing. Taking a step back, I greet her. “Afternoon, Mrs. Byron. What brings you here today?”

I feel Susu slip behind me slightly, so I do my best not to draw attention to her. Not that I don’t want her to know I’d be honored to introduce her to people I know, but it’s been abundantly clear since the moment I met her she’s not comfortable meeting people.

“Oh, Max wanted me to pick up some of the pasta salad they make in the deli here. I’d send over my shopper, but she always seems to get the wrong one, and I really would rather not hear him complain with dinner tonight. Who’s this young lady hiding behind you?” She leans to the side to peer around me, spying Susu.

Checking on her over my shoulder, I give her an apologetic smile before answering. “This is Su—” I stop myself when Susu’s eyes widen with panic, and I make a change, hopefully appeasing Mrs. Byron. “This is someone I’m working with over at the bar I play in on the weekends. How’s Mr. Byron doing? My mother said that he had some heart issues a few months ago.”

Thankfully, it’s enough to draw her attention back to me. Mrs. Byron waves me off like I shouldn’t worry. “Oh, Max is doing just fine. The doctors said he needs to cut down on his cholesterol, but I swear, that man can weasel extra bacon in the mornings. He has the chef under his thumb, the ridiculous man. He has cut back hours in the office…”

She trails off, eyeing Susu behind me again. I shift left slightly to step in front of Susu, blocking her view. “I’m sure cutting those hours will be a delight for you. Some time away to take those vacations you two were always talking about.”

Her smile is polite, but her eyes keep darting toward Susu, and I want to get rid of her. It’s obvious her curiosity is growing, and I justknowshe’ll be calling my mother the moment we leave.

“Yes, yes. It would be lovely, wouldn’t it? I hear your parents are taking a trip soon, correct?”

My forced smile goes stiff to hide the fact that I had no idea they were leaving. Mother never mentioned it during our last call. “Oh, you know how they are. Always looking for their next big adventure. Please give my best to Mr. Byron. We do need to get going now,” I tell her, reaching behind me to grab Susu’s elbow and lead her to the front where we can check out.

“Oh, well, it was so lovely to see you. And you too, miss. Give your parents my love, Vance.” She waves, then continues to watch us as we quickly make our exit.

“Sorry, songbird. That was Eleanor Byron, a family friend. She’s a nosey woman and I hope she didn’t make you uncomfortable.” I stare down at her after setting my basket on the conveyor belt, the cashier ringing us up with a bored look on his face.

Susu is quiet, visibly swallowing hard against an invisible lump in her throat. I grow concerned over the way she’s struggling and step closer, leaning down to press my lips to her ear. “Are you okay?”

She gives me a slight nod, and then tilts her head toward the cashier who’s waiting for me to pay, since I only have a few items to ring up. With my eye on her, I pull out my wallet and pay, then take the bag and grab her hand to lead us out of the store.

“So, before we were rudely interrupted, are you onboard with coming back to my place for some dinner?” I ask her, then stop our walking when a thought dawns on me. “Wait, have you already eaten? Shit, I should have planned this better. Plus, it’s hours before the acceptable time to eat dinner. We could always go to—”

Susu steps into me, pushing up to her toes before planting her lips on mine to shut me up. Once I’m quiet, enjoying the feel of her kiss, she drops back to the flat of her feet and pulls out her phone, typing something, then hands it to me.

‘I didn’t eat lunch. I’d love to have dinner with you.’

Reaching out for her hand, I thread my fingers between hers and blow out a breath in relief. “Perfect. Perfect. Let me take you to my home.”

The walk is short, but I enjoy every second of it while her hand stays enveloped within mine. I’m glad I only bought a few things that all fit into one bag to keep this one free. The moment I drop her hand to unlock my door, my cell starts ringing in my pocket.

Slipping it from my pocket, I see it’s my mother calling off schedule. Closing my eyes in annoyance, I know Eleanor must have contacted her. Hitting ignore, I set it on the counter with the bag and then turn to Susu, who’s standing a few feet from me, taking in my place.

“What do you think? I know it’s bare, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to decorate quite yet. I’ve actually been here for a few years, so I know I should probably do something soon.” I scratch the back of my head, not sure why I feel like I need to explain anything. Susu doesn’t seem to have any negative feelings toward being here. She’s simply curious.

“I like it.” Her soft voice floats to me, sounding louder because of my lack of furniture beyond the necessities. Peeking into the bag, she asks, “What are we having?”

Gratitude fills me that she’s voicing her thoughts rather than typing them out. If she wants to write out our entire conversation to feel comfortable, I won’t take offense, but hearing her voice has become one of my favorite sounds. She may speak quietly, but there’s emotion behind every single word she shares with me.

“I was going to order something fromColtello e Forchettafor us, if that’s alright? I’d offer to cook, but I’m terrible at it.” Dragging the bag from the store across the counter to dig through it, I pull out the wine as well as some items to set out on a charcuterie board. Cheeses, olives, Italian meat. Nothing fancy, but good enough to pick at while we wait.

Her smile is shy when she asks, “What doesColtello e Forchettamean?”

“I believe it means ‘knife and fork’. Have you eaten there before? It’s the best I’ve found in the area. Typically, they won’t deliver, but I’m friends with—”

The sound of her giggle cuts me off. “No, I haven’t been there. I haven’t eaten out anywhere since I moved here.” Digging for my cutting board, I pause my movement when she shares that. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m aware that for budgeting purposes, some places are out of price range, but there are still inexpensive places to pick up a meal.

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