Page 10 of Tops
“Oh! What’s the sexy professor look like?” She leaned in eagerly.
“Blond hair. Detective for the NYPD. Looks like a detective, too. If you know what I mean. Just the most soul-grabbing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. We’re working with him on cold cases in Queens. That’s why I was so late getting in. But it’s only Tuesdays and Thursdays and counts as my field hours.”
Hannah looked shocked before lunging at me. She hugged me as I struggled not to spill my drink. We were both laughing and hugging each other, the air between us feeling back to normal.
“So,” she said, pulling back while her hands remained on my shoulders. “Why not try for both?” She gave me a mischievous little grin.
“What?” I’m not sure who both were. She couldn’t mean Tanner and my professor.
“Try to bang both before you leave New York,” she grinned.
Yup, she meant Tanner and my professor. “Are you insane? I can’t fuck my professor. I could get my diploma ripped away.”
“Eh,” she said, considering it. “Sounds like you’re more of his underling at the department. I’m pretty sure romance is allowed within police work. And it’s not like you’re even on campus with him much. No one would ever know.”
She read too many books. I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Alright, Hannah, if either Tanner or my professor makes a move on me, I’ll be sure to roll with it. Fair enough?”
“I guess,” she said, frowning. “I know I won’t get more than that out of you.”
“Does this mean you’re finally moving on from Tanner?” If one good thing could come out of tonight, let it at least be that.
“Oh, hon. Do you know how many guys I have slept with this week? Tanner has never been a real goal in my mind. More like a fantasy.”
“Then why did you get so upset at the idea that I was off with him?”
“Because I thought you were keeping it from me,” she smiled softly.
“I promise to tell you about any relationships I find myself in.”
4
Devils Three-way
Rain.
I’ve always loved watching the rain streak down the window. Sometimes I liked to pretend that one drop was racing the other. I used to do that a lot when I was a kid. Alone in my room, listening to the sounds of thunder in the night. The raindrops raced down, backlit against a flash of lightning. It had always called to me. Other kids would have run into their parents’ bedroom, crying and demanding a spot wedged in the middle so they could feel warm and safe.
Not me.
I loved storms. Everything about them felt like a mirror staring back at me, telling me it was okay to just break open sometimes. It knew what it was like to feel the pressure building inside.
The anxiety.
The worry.
All the constant fucking chatter up inside my head day in and day out. The rain made all that go away. Listening to the little impacts, one after the next, drumming out an erratic rhythm to Xanax my ass. A rainy day with nowhere to be; that was my little slice of heaven.
I planned on staying in bed all day long. Emerging from my room only to gather supplies and use the restroom between binges. I was entirely content to stay in pajamas, curled up in blankets. That was the plan. Until Tanner texted me.
Tanner:Is Hannah ok? She hasn’t responded to my texts.
Guess neither Professor Pain nor Mr. Bossy had good etiquette regarding text-based communications. Of course, thinking about them reminded me of Hannah’s stupid suggestion to try to bang them before I left New York. Tanner wouldn’t even be interested if I tried.
Nessa:She’s fine. I’m guessing that since her next working day isn’t until tomorrow, she doesn’t have her phone near her. As is her right to do on a day off.
Tanner:This isn’t about work. We found the incident on the cameras. I need you and Hannah to visit Tops tonight and review the footage.
I sat up straight in my cocoon of comfort, a blanket fixed firmly around my shoulders. I looked over to the window set inside the cinderblock wall. They would start radiating an icy chill that settled into your bones soon. No matter how high we turned up the thermostat, it couldn’t keep up with the cold. But I needed a moment in the air to calm the sudden rush of heat that flowed through me.
