Page 86 of Whiskey Throttle
He sighs, rubbing a hand at the small of his back. Sitting in those stiff hospital chairs for hours must be taking its toll now.
“Alright, man. I can see where you’re coming from. But you’ve got to understand, this is a messed-up situation. That’s not something he’s going to get over. Not easily.”
I rub my temples, my headache spreading.
“I know. I know it’s all kinds of fucked up. But I can’t change how I feel. And I can’t change what we did. Nor do I want to.”
He hums, letting my words fall around me like undetonated bombs. The only sounds come from the noise of the Seaport District rising up the building to his place.
“Well, get cleaned up and I’ll bring in some shit for you to wear.”
He steps toward the door, opening it to leave.
“No offense, but all your shit will be two sizes too small.”
Diego doesn’t have the build of me and the twins. He’s the smallest but still shredded. Dom’s the meanest, but not as wide as me.
“We’re leaving in ten.”
He says it with no malice. No anger, just walks out of the room as if it’s not a worry at all. Fuck, he’ll probably put me in some Hawaiian shit his family left behind when they visited him a couple of years back.
Regardless, I drag my ass into the shower, avoid looking at the shit show my face is in the mirror. The priority is not my crap right now, even though I made it so a few minutes ago.
It’s about Em and how he’s doing. Sitting beside his bed all night, while the machines beeped and pumped, was surreal. Brought a humility that I need to cling to get through these next few days.
Since they limited visitors in that place, we swapped out, giving Massi a break after he came back and said Dom was gone. Blasting off in the dead of night and not answering his phone when both of them tried to call.
I didn’t dare call him. Honestly, I didn’t want to. I still don’t. I have to clear things with Babs first. Fuck I should have called her by now.
Checked on her.
That very thought gets my ass in gear, racing through the rest of my shower and throwing a towel around my hips to dash out to my phone. I pull it from my pants, only to find it fucking dead.
Shit.
Dripping all over the floor, I notice a stack of clothes sitting on the top of the dresser. Fuck him, it is that Hawaiian shit from his family. Even Diego is fucking me over now.
I towel off, put on the long board shorts, and an obnoxiously colorful flower shirt. If Em’s awake, at least this will make him laugh his ass off. It’s the least I deserve for not being there for them this weekend. Maybe if I were like I usually am, this wouldn’t have happened.
Diego appears in the doorway, just as I’m slipping my boat shoes on. At least they somewhat match. My dirty clothes sit in a pile on his bathroom floor, something I’ll handle later.
“Nani no ?oe, Holls.”
“Huh?”
He waves a hand in the air, knowing I don’t understand what he said.
“You ready, man?”
I hear the apartment door slam in the distance and raise an eyebrow.
“Izzy.”
He doesn’t say anything else. And I know better than to comment. I already have one friendship on the line, I don’t need another.
“Can I charge this on the way?”
I wave my phone between us, and he simply nods and walks away. Leaving me to follow after him. He’s hurrying out to the living room, gives his woman a long kiss that has me looking away as I walk toward the front door.
