Page 79 of Until Now

“It’s okay, maybe I’ll run into him again.”

Jonas mumbles something I can’t quite hear, but I don’t get the chance to ask him to repeat it before I’m being lifted off the ground. Lee laughs behind me as I try to squirm from his grasp. I glare when he finally sets me back on my feet, straightening my hair and sweater, but it doesn’t matter because he slings his arm around my shoulders messing up my hair again. “Tobi, where you been? You fell off the planet for a while,” Lee says, meeting my attempts to move away with a tightening grip.

“Had a few things to take care of.”

“Where have you been?” Lee asks me.

“Sono stato occupato.”

“Yeah,real occupato,” Jonas adds earning a glare from me.

“Want to grab lunch? My last class got canceled.” Lee expects me to say yes, but it’s the last thing I want to do. “We can go to Java, get you a coffee and then grab lunch at the club.”

If I say no, I’ll never hear the end of it. He’ll follow me wherever I go anyway, so I might as well just say yes. “Fine.”

I release myself from his grasp and hug Tobias. “Good luck,” he whispers.

“Lunch on Thursday?”

“Sure.”

Before I’m fully out of the embrace, Lee pulls me down the sidewalk. “What did he mean by good luck?”

“Oh, a class project. It’s dumb.”

“Sure that’s the only thing bothering you?”

“Yes.” I step away to put some space between us.

“Just seems like you’ve been avoiding me.”

“Maybe I have.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because you’re annoying.” Lee laughs and wraps his arm around my waist to pull me close again.

Chapter Forty-Six

NOW

Alex gets herefirst. He’s shocked by the sheer size of the room his father has been placed in — it’s more like an apartment than a hospital room. Upon entering, there’s an area with a couch and dressing room for family members who stay overnight. Then, the patient’s quarters. Two large windows overlook a lake nearby. A large plush couch between the windows, a lazy boy recliner in the corner, and built in cabinets frame the flat screen across from the bed. Behind the bed, a tufted wall with an intricate pattern, and wall mounted vital monitors. A desk opposite the windows. A large bathroom with a walk-in shower opens to a closet for patient belongings. But, Alex doesn’t ask questions. Doesn’t ask how his father got placed into a room like this. His eyes wander the room, but he falls into the recliner and joins the conversation as if he’s been here the entire time.

I’m trying to follow the conversation myself, something about a string of murders in a prominent family in the southern part of the state. In recent news, the story the father had told was beginning to unravel and fingers were being pointed in his direction. Apparently, Jimmy was a big true crime buff like the rest of us. But, I can’t help wondering where is Nick? Shouldn’t he be with his brother? I can’t imagine he would skip—

“Took you long enough!” Alex interrupts the story to point out his brother has finally joined us. And, he’s not the only one. Just past him, a girl stands with a bright smile as she waves to Jimmy.

“Who’s that?” I hear Michaela whisper to Elizabeth.

“I’ll give you one guess.”

She’s not exactly what I imagined, in fact, she’s the opposite. Short dress. Heels. Makeup. Nails. Her boobs practically fall out of the A-line dress, the hemline reaches just below her butt. I hope she doesn’t plan on bending over anytime soon. She exudes a high maintenance attitude, it reminds me of my mother.

When she smiles, her teeth are radiant against ruby red lips that match the color of her dress — a warm combination against her cinnamon skin. She smiles at Jimmy before turning it to Nick, who doesn’t reciprocate. No, his eyes are still on me. They flicker briefly to my left arm before meeting my gaze again — a question.Did you get a tattoo?But, I don’t answer. My glare flickers between him and Shey — a question.Is that who I think it is?But, he doesn’t answer.

“Well, hello Shey,” Jimmy says, interrupting our silent conversation. “I didn’t realize you were coming.”

“When I heard the news, I got so worried! I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

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