Page 34 of Chasing Infinity

“I don’t think so. Parks is sleeping right now, and she needs her rest.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do. Addison’s my girlfriend, so I have to check on her.”

I hear a cough behind him, and I pull my attention away from the menace in front of me to see Sullivan standing behind him. He’s rolling his eyes at the apparent pissing match that’s about to take place. I look back at Eli. “All I'm telling you is that she's resting and doesn't want visitors. Trust me once she's feeling better you can hang out with her all you want, but until then, give her her space.”

“Block this door all you want, McCoy. I’ll just use the other entrance,” he scowls at me. “You don’t get to tell me that I can’t see my best friend! You’re the one who abandoned her when she needed you!”

“Okay, okay.” Charlie decides to intervene, pulling Eli off me by the collar and situating space between us.

I glower at them and cross my arms over my chest. “Parks told me not to let anyone up there. Are you trying to go against her wishes?”

“Is she well enough to make decisions like that?” Eli snarls back at me. “What if she’s passed out in the shower or burned herself trying to make soup or something.”

I hit Eli with a level stare. “She’s fine. I was up there not even an hour ago, and she was sleeping. She probably is still sleeping.”

“Okay, there you go, Eli. Maybe you should back down now, I’m sure Noah—” Charlie tries to interject.

“You’re trusting him? What if this is all just a ruse, and he has her bound and gagged somewhere—”

“That’s enough!” I shout at him, unwilling to listen to his bullshit anymore.

Eli can spout his mouth all he wants but not about something likethat. The idea that he could think of me capable of something like that hits deeply. Still, I plaster on an impassive expression. Charlie is now glaring at his buddy, knowing all too well the severity of the implication.

“We’ll get out of your hair,” Charlie says, his eyebrows still pulled tightly as he frowns.

“What? We haven’t even gotten lunch yet,” Eli protests.

“Then we’ll go somewhere else. Come on. We’ll chat later, Lockwood,” Charlie grabs Eli by the collar and then practically pulls him out of the diner, Eli protesting and questioning him the whole way. As they leave the diner, I glower after them.

“You’re protective of her,” Grace observes as she comes to stand by me. My mouth feels dry and I swallow thickly.

“Of course I am. Someone needs to be.”

Addison’s best friend hums at me and turns to face me fully. “Let me ask you a question, Noah.”

Here we go.

“Go for it,” I tell her, rising to her challenge.

“Do you believe in soul mates?” she asks me, her dark eyes studying me intently.

I must admit, I’m taken off guard by her question. I regain my footing swiftly, though, and respond back. “That depends.”

“Really. So would you say that you and Addie are soul mates?”

My teeth grind together so hard that the muscles in my jaw begin to ache. “Grace,” I warn.

She holds up her hands but still fixes me with a heady stare. “I’m asking out of curiosity. Love isn’t random, you know. There’s a reason why you’ve always been drawn to her and her to you. All I’m looking for is your opinion on the matter. Surely you must have one.”

“Of course I do, but my opinion on whether or not Parks is mysoulmatereally doesn’t concern you, does it?”

“On the contrary,” she says, pointing her finger at me, “it does. Addie is my best friend. I watched the two of you skirt around each other since we were teenagers and her struggle over your connection since the moment you set foot back in this town.”

“Cut to the chase, please. I don’t have time for this,” I growl at her. "I'm getting tired of having this conversation all the damn time."

“Listen, I just want you to think long and hard about who you’re stringing along. I think the phrase 'right person wrong time’ was written with you two in mind. So now that begs the question, when is the right time? Or is there a right time?”

“How would Parks feel if I told her you were meddling like this?” I shoot back at her, my patience running thin. This is part of the reason why I never truly missed living in a small town—in a big city like New York or DC, my business stayed my business. At least as much as it could, given my line of work.

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