Page 63 of Bookgasms
And it’s not like we’re best friends or anything—just friendly.
Now, the only question is whether Gary will forgive me and help me out. I guess there’s only one way to find out.
I scroll through my contacts until I find his name, hesitating for only a moment before hitting the call button.
“Danielle?”
I make a face. I don’t know why he insists on calling me Danielle. He knows I hate my full name, but now isn’t the time to dwell on that.
“Hey, Gary.”
“You’ve been crying. What’s wrong?”While his voice sounded a little annoyed when he first answered, now he just sounds concerned.“Where are you?”
“Right now? I’m just driving around. Look, I’m in some trouble, Gary, and I need your help.”
“Of course. Whatever you need.”
I really need to be a better friend to him because he doesn’t even hesitate for a second.
“I need a place to lie low for a few days. Can I come stay with you?”
“Of course you can. I’ll get the spare bedroom ready for you. Do you need anything else?”
I hum. There’s a lot I need, but nothing he can provide me. “No, that’s it. I’m heading your way now. I promise I’ll explain as soon as I get there, okay?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll be here. See you soon.”
Relief rushes through me as I type his address into the GPS. I drove farther than I thought I had, and I have to turn around and double back to his house. It’ll take me about an hour, but that’s okay. It’ll give me time to gather myself.
I don’t need to show up at his door looking like a complete mess—maybe just a partial one.
Having a plan in place makes it easier to stay calm as I drive. Before I know it, I’m pulling into his driveway.
I climb out of the car, turning my phone off as yet another call from Andrés comes through. In the last hour, they’ve all called five times each—even Maya. I should let them know I’m okay, but I think it’s safer not to let them know my plan.
All I want is for them to be safe. They’ll be angry with me at first, but they’ll get over it.
“There you are.”
I glance up to find Gary standing on his porch. He’s backlit by the lights from his house as he gestures for me to join him. I hurry up the stairs and accept his offered hug. “Thanks again.”
“Of course. You know I’ll always be here—even when we fight.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’ve just been dealing with so much shit, and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.” I pull back and give him a small smile. That’s definitely an elaboration, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“It’s already forgotten. Now, come on inside and tell me what’s going on. You sounded really upset on the phone.”
He leads me into the living room, holding my hand as I explain about the stalker. I hesitate for a moment before telling him about the others, but I decide it’s best to just rip the bandage off. Maybe it’ll be easier for him to move on if he knows I’m in a relationship.
As soon as I start talking about Maya’s reaction, my tears spill over again as he pulls me into his arms. Once I’m finished, silence surrounds us.
I swipe at my face, trying to stop crying, but it’s like now that I’ve started up again, I can’t stop.
I don’t know how long we sit like that, but eventually, my tears dry up and I pull away. “Thank you, Gary.”
He doesn’t say anything, and when I glance up at his face, he looks pissed and won’t meet my eyes.
“Gary? What’s wrong?”
