Page 75 of ILY
Denver bursts into laughter. ‘Did Michael freeze?’
I grin as Thorne shakes his head, looking about as defeated as I feel. ‘No. He ran away.’
‘With a whole zucchini in his mouth,’ I add. ‘We haven’t seen him since. I put up a new trap and a bunch of cameras, but nothing’s worked. Thorne is acquiring some very illegal plants I can use to put him out of his misery.’
Denver shakes his head, still grinning. ‘I think he’s tormenting you on purpose.’
‘If that’s true, I’m terrified. They’re not supposed to be that smart.’
Denver waves me off. ‘I had a goldfish that could play fetch.’
‘Bullshit,’ I say.
He grins at me, and I have no idea if he’s lying or telling the truth, but I don’t care. It feels good to relax.
‘Anyway,’ I begin, finishing off my drink. ‘There is no dead body in my backyard, despite Thorne hoping there was.’
Thorne groans. ‘I did nothope.’
‘You did. You were hoping I was a serial killer, but I’m just a sad man with a groundhog.’
Denver giggles at that sign again.
Fucker.
‘Well, you two are really cute,’ Denver says, finishing off his drink and waving the server over again. ‘You want another?’
Thorne shakes his head, but I bob my head up and down. I sure as fuck do want another. That was delicious. When the orders are placed, Denver adds, ‘And honestly, Leaf, I can’t imagine you meeting anyone any other way. This is so typical.’ His mouth makes a littlebingmovement when he signs that last word, and I roll my eyes.
‘Gobingyourself.’
Denver giggles, and I grin widely.
‘Well, you’re correct. If Thorne hadn’t shown up and pretended to be my stalker, I probably would be dying alone, Michael covering me in old zucchini carcasses.’
‘I actually was your stalker. Just not in a creepy way,’ Thorn reminds me.
‘Nope. In a very sexy one.’
Denver sighs. ‘You two are so cute.’
‘Agree.’ My stomach rumbles, and thankfully, our food is delivered just a few minutes later. I dig in, moaning when the flavor of the Caesar wrap hits my taste buds. ‘Delicious.’ Denver nods, and I hand him half of my wrap. ‘You need eat.’
He sighs but takes my offering. I’m glad he’s putting something in his stomach. I bet the recent encounter put him off food, but if I’ve learned anything since Michael, it’s that you need to keep your body from falling apart, even when you’re incredibly stressed.
We make inane chatter, catching up on things like Denver buying a new car—the way he describes the inside of it makes me feel like I’ve actually been there—and me telling him all about the random things I’ve found in boxes around my aunt’s.
By the time the plates are cleared and the drinks are gone, Denver is actually smiling, Thorne looks chill, and I feel slightly buzzed.
‘I should get going. I have a class and a show tomorrow,’ Denver says.
‘Where? I want to come see you again.’
‘I’ll text you my schedule so you two can come see me perform.’ He winks at Thorne. ‘Nice to see you again. And keep up the practicing. Now that you have this guy in your life, there’s no excuse.’
‘No Deaf goodbye?’ I tease.
Denver yawns. ‘Not tonight. We did spend four hours chatting though.’
