Page 64 of First Comes Revenge

“It’ll work out.”

“I heard she has been shopping her book to a few boutique publishers around the city. A friend of mine just told me last week he met with her.”

“What? You didn’t think I’d want to know about this?”

“I thought you guys were over. Honestly, I didn’t want to make it sting anymore by bringing her up.”

“Yeah, well, it stings. Whether you bring her up or not, she’s always here.” I tap my temple. “So I’m going to pull every move out of the book to win her back, because I don’t know what I’m going to do if I can’t.”

He claps my shoulder. “I really am rooting for you. Of course, the whole love thing still looks like insanity from where I’m sitting, but I’m glad you found it.”

I did, didn’t I? What I feel is love, whether or not Charli feels it back right now. I know that’s what I feel.

28

CHARLI

Ishould be working on getting my book published, but I’m sitting by the single window in my apartment and looking down at him. He’s sitting on a bus stop bench with a small group of raggedly dressed people I’m assuming are homeless. They’re all reading books. For stretches of time, they quietly focus on their reading. Sometimes, they take breaks. He still stops to buy dirty underwear from people, which is weirdly sweet. And yes, I know that’s probably the strangest thing to call “sweet” in the world, but I think I know why he’s doing it.

I’ve seen Jameson throw a football with the people out there, which was pretty hilarious because none of them could catch. They seemed to decide it was a bad idea when one of the old ladies in his group took a ball straight to the face. Sometimes they play cards. Once, two of the men hauled a big metal barrel after it got dark and they cooked something over a fire I’m pretty sure was running on newspaper and trash.

Mostly, though, they just read.

I can’t figure out why they’re all so intent on reading the books. There’s a level of focus to the reading that seems like it goes beyond pure enjoyment. They’re reading with some kind of purpose I just can’t tease out.

Every day, Jameson jogs across the street to a Greek place. He either eats by the window or comes back to the bus stop with enough food in paper bags for everyone in the group.

“He’s persistent,” Roxie says. “I’ll give him that.” She’s in my kitchen and currently raiding my fridge. “But I think he was on a better track with the gifts. I’m not sure how all this reading is an apology. Or is he just bored out there and waiting for you to come talk to him?”

“I think it’s romantic,” Gemmaline says from the couch beside me. She gets up every few minutes to join me in watching. They have started to make excuses to come almost every day and we hang out while they go back and forth about what I should do.

“Is it?” Dani asks. “We don’t even know what it is he’s attempting down there. What if he’s planning to mug her the moment she comes out?”

I roll my eyes. “He’s not going to mug me. Maybe he just wants to apologize?”

“Hey,” Roxie warns. “Don’t go getting soft on us. Can you forgive him eventually?Maybe. But first comes revenge.”

I sigh. Why does everybody in my life seem to think revenge is so important? “I tried the whole revenge thing with Vaughn, and where did that get me?”

“Happy?” Roxie tries.

“I mean, at times it was fun. But I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to use other people’s misery as a source of happiness in your life. At least you shouldn’t expect to stay happy for long if you do.”

“I don’t know,” Roxie says. “It’s working pretty well for me so far.”

I roll my eyes, smiling. “It seems like he’s taking revenge on himself so I don’t have to. He even put up posters asking for phone sex from old lonely men. I mean, it’s pretty obvious, right? He’s doing the same things to himself we did to Vaughn, even though he doesn’t deserve nearly as much grief for what he did. Maybe I could just go hear him out.”

“How did that work for you last time?” Dani asks. She has been on Roxie’s side this whole time. They admitted to me they went around the city telling as many rough looking people as they could that a man was trading books for companionship at the bus stop. Roxie thought it would be a hilarious way to annoy him into leaving me alone.

I was secretly rooting for Jameson when I saw he took his new friends in stride. He has been treating them all like family down there, as far as I can tell, and the little prank fell flat. If anything, he seems happier to have the company.

I was honestly pretty pissed when they told me what they’d done. Pranking Vaughn felt at least sort of right because he crossed so many lines. Jameson still feels like he is more good than bad. Yes, I got scared about committing to a guy when I knew he was capable of lying to me. But I don’t have that same burning hatred toward him I had toward Vaughn.

I won’t admit it, mostly because my friends would lose their minds, but I miss him. I really miss him.

“He’s so cute down there,” Gemmaline says, joining me at the window. “I love how he just made friends with all the homeless people. You can tell a lot about someone by how they treat people with less than them.”

I completely agree with her, even though I don’t voice it. Roxie and Dani have been borderline overbearing since I broke things off with Jameson. I think they’d put me in a cage if they thought it would keep me safe.

---