Page 71 of Before Now

“Look at you. Then what?”

“I leave and never come back. At least that’s the next step in the plan. Save every penny, graduate early, and move anywhere else until I start NYU next fall.”

I mute the strings with my palm. “I’ve got you covered. There’s more than one place for you to sleep in my dorm when I get back to Texas.”

“More than one, huh?” she says, amused. “Are they all in your bed?”

“Beside me, on top of me, under me…”

She laughs. “So many options. How’s a girl to resist?”

A deep “Remington” barely picks up on her mic. The guy’s walking toward her on the sidewalk, coming from the direction of the coffee shop. Dark gray winter coat unzipped with a lighter shirt underneath. Tall, short beard, and a wide-ass smile aimed her way.

“Roman.” A softness in her tone wraps his name, and fuck, that feels like jealousy nudging at my chest. “Uh, I’ve got to go talk to someone.” She tacks on, “He’s a friend.”

“Yeah,” I force out, watching him stop a few feet away to wait for her.

And yeah, I am jealous. Not necessarily of the guy—although it does feel like he’s grinning atmygirl—but because I want to be that close to her. Closer.

“Night, Remi.” I lean forward for my phone.

“Hey, Foster?” Mine’s wrapped in something else, warm and raspy. The camera lowers to the sidewalk. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I ask.

“For being.”

One side of my mouth lifts, and I decide the way she says my name is better. “Anytime. Feel free to show me when you get out of your skirt.”

She sighs, ending the call. But by the time I drop back in the chair with my phone, she sends a text.

Maybe I will.

Jesus, how am I supposed tonottrip over this girl? I never planned to bail on Chase, but right now, I wouldn’t mind standing on a sidewalk somewhere else.

Trying to distract myself from … everything at this point, I fuck around with the song from earlier for a bit. My heart’s not in it, though, so I trudge inside, more unsettled beneath the surface than when I went out.

I snag a beer and stand against the counter in the kitchen, figuring out my next move. Where in the city I haven’t explored that might do the trick. Or even somewhere I have but will look different at night.

Mid-sip, my gaze lands on the keys. Both are still there. Sighing, I shake my head and take a longer swig. Chase stays in after starting a war with me over it. Up until last week, I would point it out. Up until last week, we wouldn’t have gotten here either. Something’s going on with him. I just have to wait for him to be willing to tell me what it is. Otherwise I need to go roof shopping. He wouldn’t dare tarnish the sanctity of a roof. But I guess he kind of already did.

I finish my beer and sort through the drawers until I find one with office supplies. At first I grab the sticky notes, but they cover a better option. Walking down the hall, I see Chase kept his door open after shutting off the light I left on. An invitation. Not that I need one.

Sure enough, he’s passed out. One thing never-changing about my best friend, my brother, is his ability to sleep through almost anything. We used to screw with him all the time but over the years matured. Given our current circumstances, I think a little throwback is in order.

I pop the top off the permanent marker on my way in to leave a love note that doubles as afuck you. A sentiment from me to him that says, who needs a home when I have a douchebag like him? And to make sure he sees it, I scrawl it right across his bare chest.

Bro is where the heart is.

Although, if I want to avoid more kitten allegations, I might need to admit a bit of mine might be in Ohio, too.

20

REMI

“Here I thoughtI’d have to wait until the weekend to see you.”

I trap my phone in my skirt’s hem, narrowing my eyes at Roman. “Were you planning on kidnapping me?”

---