Page 97 of Muted

The moment I open my door, I look toward the ceiling, silently asking why today just keeps getting more and more difficult. A delivery man fromColtello e Forchettais just exiting the elevator, so he’s not the one who rang my bell.

“One moment,” I tell Margot Stoll, my mother who is standing in front of me, clearly put out from having to come all the way over to my place.I should have answered the fucking phone. “Thanks for bringing this by,” I tell the delivery guy, slipping a $50 bill into his hand as I take the bags from him. “I appreciate it.”

“Sure thing. Thanks!” He’s happy with the tip, and he salutes me before making a quick exit.

Mother huffs out her annoyance and moves to come inside, but I shift, blocking her entrance. “Honestly, darling. What in the world is going on? You’re not answering my calls.”

“It’s not Wednesday,” I tell her, refusing to give her anything extra. If Susu was uncomfortable at the store when we ran into Mrs. Byron, she is absolutelynotprepared to encounter my mother right now. Especially not after what we were just discussing.

Her lips purse together just before she narrows her eyes into a glare. “Since when does it need to be Wednesday to see my child?” She takes another step forward, assuming I’ll let her in, but I don’t budge. “Vance! What the hell is going on?” she hisses.

“Mother, I mean no disrespect, but I am busy, and I would appreciate it if we could discuss this at a later date. Now really isn’t the time.” I don’t blame her for digging into my business. While my parents have always been emotionally distant, they haven’t been uninvolved with the events of my life. She doesn’t understand Susu’s predicament and now certainly isn’t the time to explain. Leaning forward, I lower my voice, softening it a touch to alleviate any concerns. “I promise I’ll fill you in. Please, leave now because it will not end well for anyone. Iwillexplain.”

She blinks rapidly at me and straightens her shoulders, clearly embarrassed at being turned away. “Suit yourself. I didn’t have much time, anyway. I’m meeting with the girls for some Gin Rummy tonight while your father has cigars with the partners. Long night for the both of us.” Waving me off, she doesn’t wait for a goodbye and hurries to the elevator.

I watch her leave and it’s not until the scents of our dinner hit my nose that I shove my door shut and head back into the kitchen. Susu is sitting on the stool behind my counter, hands in her lap and slightly panicked wide eyes. Mine fall to the board and see that she’s finished setting up the board with an overabundance of food, like she kept her hands busy while I was dealing with my mother.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her softly, slowing down my steps because she looks as if she’s about to bolt. “My mother has boundary issues at times and, well… that’s neither here nor there. I apologize she stopped by unannounced.”

I set the bags on the counter, but don’t pull anything out. Her voice cracks on the first word as she asks, “Should I go?”Goddamnit, mother.

“No,” I growl out, making my way around to her side of the counter. Cupping her cheeks, I tilt her head back to look into her eyes. “I don’t want you to ever leave. I want you here.” Dropping my mouth to kiss her, showing her I mean every word, the words she breathes out halts me a hair’s breadth from her mouth.

“I need to tell you something.”

I don’t back off as my eyes lock onto hers. “Tell me what?” My lower lip brushes hers when I ask, and I can feel a light tremble roll through her at the contact.

“It’s about Theo.” This time I do give her a bit of space, but I don’t drop my hands. I want to keep touching her.

Nodding slowly, I watch her for anxiety. It’s not hard to tell that she clams up when she’s feeling overwhelmed or anxious. “You’re interested in him as well. I know this already. I’m okay with it.”

Thinking that’s all she was getting at, I move to kiss her again. She stops me. Again. This time with her slightly chilled fingers to cover my mouth. “It’s not just that.”

“What else is there?” I ask, trying not to sound annoyed. It’s not that I don’t want to talk, but now that kissing her is right here, I can’t think of anything else.

The way she’s staring at me, eyes shining with worry, I realize that there really is something big. Letting my fingers slip down her cheek, enjoying the silky smoothness of her skin.

“I kissed Chester.” The tips of my fingers freeze on the edge of her jaw, then I let my hands drop to my sides. “Are you mad?”

Am I mad? Surprised maybe. Taken aback by the news, because I definitely didn’t see that coming. No, I’m not mad, but Iamworried. Theo didn’t worry me too much because frankly, he’s a dick and I sort of thought she’d eventually see that. But Chester isn’t. He’s responsible, level-headed, and an overall nice guy. So, while I’m happy that she’s connected with him because he would be good to her, I’m worried that she’ll more easily see the faults I carry.

“I’m not mad. Did you want me to step back from pursuing you?” The way her smile grows lightens my worry. She slips from her seat and steps into my body, sliding her arms around my waist.

After resting her cheek against my chest, she gives me a tight squeeze. “No. I don’t want that at all. I just thought you should know because I’m not really sure what’s happening with everyone. Hurting any of you would crush me.”

I hug her to me and rest my chin on her hair, sighing loudly. “As long as I’m still able to see you, I can deal with that for now. Let’s eat something before it gets cold.”

Stepping back, I bend down and press a kiss to her lips, silently thanking her for telling me. We spend the rest of the evening eating the meal I ordered, and grin to myself when our topics stay away from heavy things, allowing her to relax even more.

When Susu isn’t worried, she definitely has an appetite. I file that away as another thing I’ve learned about her. The next date I plan, I’m going to ensure that we don’t have any interruptions. But this one ended up going well enough by the end.

Chapter 27

Division

Theo

“We need to establish some boundaries here. It’s the only way this is going to work until she figures out what she wants to do,” Chaz tells me, washing glasses behind the bar a little more aggressively than he should.

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