Page 57 of Encounter

Past the narrow part of the entrance was an open plan living room, with an old, simple couch, long vintage TV stand, with a large screen, and a balcony door across the room. I continued, with Chast right behind me, and saw what looked like his working desk in a little office area, covered in papers, files, boxes and with a bookshelf to the side. The moment I noticed a pet food bowl, something brushed over my leg, startling me.

“Wh—” Down at my feet was a slender cat, trying to get my attention with curious purrs and a proudly lifted tail. “Oh. You have... a cat,” I stated, blinking in surprise while I leaned over to pet its head. The fur was clean but oily, with a few spots missing—clearly the little creature had only a few of its nine lives left.

I didn’t really expect any other living beings in here, besides Chast and possibly some bugs.

“Do I not strike as a cat lady?” Chast joked. He went to the kitchen to eat some painkillers before aiming for the fridge, presumably to get some beer.

Even that part of his apartment looked alright. The aged orange tiles and brown walls surrounding us gave the place somewhat vintage, but homey vibe. A fish trophy hung above his microwave, and some travel memorabilia spread out next to the fridge. His small dining area was nothing but a wooden table and two chairs, with a pretty standard, easy-to-care-for plant on top.

“Not really.” After I said it, I realized how it might have sounded—even though he played into mypretty rationalfear of him being a sketchy, bad person, I probably thought too lowly of him. I kept the fact he hurt people for money in my mind at all times, but now I started fully realizing it was clearly not all he was. “What’s his name?” I attempted to strike up a conversation while petting the cat again.

Chast stopped in front of me, handing me a bottle of cider. “Kitty. And it’s a she.”

“That’s... not an actual name, though,” I mumbled, furrowing my brows with a snarky smirk.

“Alright, jeez!” Playing up being offended, he walked toward the couch, shaking his head. “Wanna talk shit about me not doin’ my laundry right, too?” With some discomfort—but his confidence seemingly intact—he spread out on the couch while I froze on the spot, unsure if he really was annoyed or not.

“Sorry, I didn’t—”

“Ugh, relax!” he shouted at me, gesturing for me to follow. “Just... sit down, or somethin’. My apologies if I ain't a good host—I don’t even remember the last time I had someone here.” Like he was talking to himself and I was a regular part of the furnishings, Chast started switching through the TV channels.

Kitty was already getting comfortable next to him, purring with his hand on her head, so I carefully seated myself at the edge of the sofa.

I watched Chast with fascination to be so gentle with that animal. His big hand ran slowly through her fur, letting dozens of loose hairs fly.

Is she all he has? It looks like it...

After studying the few DVDs under the TV and concluding they were the regular, run of the mill action kind, I turned my head to check on Chast. Visibly uncomfortable, he wrinkled his nose slightly every time he took a breath. I also noticed the plaster on his arm and neck, and a few bruised marks all over.

Hard to imagine Chast getting his ass kicked. It must have been pretty bad. I was thankful to not be there. “Are you sure that you’re... fine? Have you been to the hospital?” I asked.

“I already got checked up at Gregory’s—he’s my contractor, and an old friend. Takes care of everything, knows everything. And there ain’t much you can do for broken ribs, kid.” He glanced at me, grimacing. Just the idea of it made me squirm. “I can’t go back to work for like six weeks. Nothin’ but taking pain-killers and followin’ those dumb rehab exercises for that long, fuck.”

Must have been infuriating for someone like him.

“When... I was nine, one of the boys pushed me against a table,” I said, wondering if he even cared, as I ran my fingers around the neck of the bottle in my lap. “I was pretty sure back then my ribs were broken, but I don’t think they were.” I smirked.

Chast chuckled. “Pretty sure you would’ve known if they were, trust me.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Only when I breathe,” he informed me playfully, and even though my legs were still restless and shaky from how nervous I was, it made me smile.

This wasn’t as bad or weird as I would have thought. “I think they say you should eat yogurt. And pineapples, I think... to help with the healing.”

Snorting, Chast shook his head. “What bullshit. How isthatgonna help me? Anyway—you know whatyoushould do? Start drinking,” he said, snapping his fingers and then using them to push the bottom of the bottle up, toward my lips.

“Is that why I’m here? So that you can get me drunk?” The question wasn’t serious, but I would’ve lied if I said there still wasn’t some slither of doubt deep within me.

“Sure!” Chast laughed, genuinely amused and, once again, suffering the painful consequences. “So I can kidnap you and get ransom from your father, ha? I’m tryin’ to get you relaxed—you’re always too damn tense. Speaking of... Did you work out while we haven’t seen each other?” Paying attention to the TV again, it still felt like his eyes were burning through me.

“I did,” I said quickly, trying to sound firm and assured. “I went for a run a few times, and I tried some yoga.” The minute I said it, I realized how dumb it must have sounded to Chast.Well done, Galen—way to be a pretentious, upper class rich boy in front of him. Yoga!“I-I know it’s probably not the ideal type of exercise to you, but... it can get pretty difficult. I’m eating more, too, I think.”

“Do you feel better?” he asked, and as our eyes met, he seemed proud of me. Whatever that light spark in his voice and eyes was, I was going to take it as a win.

I conjured up a smile. “Yeah. I think so.”

To my surprise, Chast’s hand shot toward my stomach. With one swift move, he lifted my hoodie up and revealed my belly. As I tensed up—half from shock and half from his hand smacking it—something reminiscent of muscle mass showed up. “See? There’s somethin’ there! There we go. Just gotta keep on it. As long as it makes ya feel better.”

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