Page 60 of Tension
“And your sobriety,” he continues. His voice breaks a little there, just enough to gut me. “That’s the most important thing. Everything else comes second.”
“I know.”
He looks like he wants to say more, maybe even hug me, but instead, he grips my shoulder, firm and lingering. “I’m proud of you. I’m also scared as hell, but I’m proud.”
“Thank you,” I manage.
We hold each other’s gaze for one more second before he turns and walks into the tide of passengers, his form disappearing into the rhythm of travelers. I let out a breath and head back tothe SUV. Roger starts the engine without a word, merging into traffic as the airport fades in the rearview mirror.
“He’s trying,” Roger murmurs after a long stretch of silence.
“Yeah. So am I.”
Roger hums softly, a note of agreement.
“You think I can really do this?” I ask before I can stop myself.
“Dance?”
“Stay clean and compete. Not fall apart again.”
Roger glances at me, then back to the road. “You already are. One day at a time, Mateo. You just have to keep choosing to live.”
The drive is quiet after that. By the time we pull up to my building, the city is lit up against the dark sky. The rhythm of evening life beats around me; horns, pedestrians, and vendors closing up for the night, and then I notice Yvonne. She’s sitting on the front steps of my building, arms wrapped around her knees, hair loose around her face.
I frown, stepping out of the SUV before Roger can even place it in park.
“Yvonne?”
Her head lifts, eyes red-rimmed. “Hey.”
“What’s going on?”
She stands quickly, brushing at her cheeks like that’ll erase the vulnerability I already saw. “I, um… I had a fight with Rachel.”
“Your roommate?”
She nods. “I didn’t know where else to go. I tried calling you, but—” she hesitates. “I figured you turned your phone off.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and sure enough, it’s still powered down from dinner with my dad. A twinge of guilt spikes in my chest. “I’m sorry,” I mutter. “I didn’t mean to leave you hanging.”
She shakes her head. “It’s okay. I just… I didn’t know where else to go.”
Roger steps up behind me. “You good here?”
I swallow and smile at him. “Thanks for the ride.”
He eyes Yvonne for a second, then gives me a subtle nod before heading back to the car. I unlock the door to my building and gesture for Yvonne to follow me inside. The lobby’s warm, the usual doorman giving me a half-curious glance that I pointedly ignore.
Inside the elevator, the silence is thick. “You want to talk about it?” I finally ask, watching the numbers tick up.
“Not really,” she says, voice tight.
The elevator dings and we step into the hallway. My apartment feels colder than usual when we walk in, and I adjust the temperature before taking her coat and hanging it beside mine on the rack.
Then I set her bag down by the door and glance back at her. “You can crash here tonight. Couch pulls out. Do you need anything?”
She shakes her head, arms still crossed tight, so I nod once, unsure of what else to say.
