Page 32 of Kept By the Loan Shark

“Hey! Are you busy later? I thought I might swing by and pick you up for dinner? Or coffee?”

“Coffee sounds nice.” I still had random bouts of nausea and wasn’t ready to attempt eating in a restaurant where the smells and sounds aggravated my stomach. “What time?”

“Eight? Or is that too late?”

“No, that’s perfect.”

“Great. I’ll see you then.”

“Yep.”

I closed my left eye so I could focus on my phone and set an alarm. Tired, I dragged myself off the loveseat and walked the handful of steps to my downsized twin bed. Lately, sleeping in clothing had felt uncomfortable and irritating so I had taken to skipping pajamas altogether. The only perk of living alone was that I could sleep however I liked without worrying about anyone else seeing me naked.

As I crawled into bed and pulled the covers over my body, I slid my hand under one of my pillows and stopped when I felt the slightly stiff fabric hidden away there. I slowly pulled free the shirt I had squirreled away under the pillow. It was the only piece of Hagen left in my life, a crisp white dress shirt that still smelled of his cologne and aftershave. In a moment of embarrassing weakness, I held the shirt to my nose and breathed in deeply. The scent was fading now, and I knew that soon it would smell of nothing. But, right now, in this moment, it was the comfort I needed to make it through another day.

When my alarm woke me later, I felt better, a little more rested and without that frustratingly strong thud of a headache. Very carefully, I folded Hagen’s shirt and replaced it under the pillow, hiding it away like the shameful secret it was. Clearing my mind of all thoughts of him, I changed into something more comfortable—leggings and an oversized Rice University hoodie over a t-shirt—and waited for Kyle to knock.

“Ready?” he asked when I opened the door.

Nodding, I locked up and followed him to his waiting car. I settled into the front seat and buckled my seat belt while he slid behind the wheel. He checked his phone before asking, “How about this new place I keep hearing about? It’s a wine and coffee bar. It’s supposed to be quiet. Dim lights.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.”

He dropped his phone in a cupholder and pulled of his spot. “How was your OT appointment today?” I made an annoyed sound, and he laughed softly. “That bad?”

“Danny made me play Perfection again. It gives me a panic attack every time he takes it off the shelf.”

“It gives everyone a panic attack. It’s a terrible game.” He turned out of the parking lot and onto the nearest street. “How were classes? You feel like you’re getting all the support you need?”

“Kunal has organized everything for me. He put together a group of our classmates to help with notes and studying. His mom came over with him the other day and filled my freezer with enough food to feed an army. She even labeled the containers and made a little calendar to make sure I know which container to grab for each day.”

“I’ve never met her, but she sounds like a really sweet lady.”

“So sweet,” I agreed. “She’s so proud of Kunal for deciding he’s going to med school.”

“Med school? Really?” He seemed to think it over. “I can see him as a doctor, but not a surgeon.”

“He’ll be a great doctor, whatever specialty he chooses,” I insisted. “What about Hannah? Isn’t she in some sort of biomedical science?”

“Tissue Engineering is her focus.”

I made a face at the idea of spending day after day watching human tissue grow in petri dishes. Not wanting to get into the science of that, I asked, “How are things going between you?”

“We’re taking it slow,” he said, turning at an intersection. “We’re going out tomorrow.”

“Slow is good,” I murmured, shifting my gaze out the window to the blur of passing headlights. “Things went fast with Hagen, and it blew up in my face.”

Kyle’s hand gently closed over mine. “I wish you didn’t have to go through this. I know it must be painful.”

I squeezed his hand back. “It is, but that’s life, I guess.”

“It seems so,” he agreed, letting go of my hand as he eased to a stop at a red light. “Have you heard anything about Janine?”

“No, and I hope I never do.”

“Don’t you want her to pay for her crimes?”

“She can’t go back in time and undo her attack. She lost Travis. She’s suffered enough, and I’m not interested in vengeance. I just want to move on.”

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