Ch.12 - Tail Between The Legs
He felt her eyes burning a hole into his forehead as he brought the spoon to his lips and emptied the contents of it into his waiting mouth. Maggie Stryder’s homemade delicious chicken noodle soup claimed to cure all ailments. Jared was certain that if you let her, Maggie would make a good argument it was the cure for cancer.
But there was a bitter taste to it now that he was certain was a completely mental thing on his part and had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Melanie had refused to let him heat it up in the microwave or on the stove.
“Well?” the feisty brunette asked, hands planted on her hips a few feet away.
Carefully, Jared set the spoon down on the plastic lid sitting next to the bowl on the coffee table in front of him. He looked up at Melanie’s scrunched up face. From this point on he knew he could either lie or tell the truth, neither of which seemed like a viable option.
“It’s good,” he said, trying to sound confident and probably failing. Melanie crossed the few steps between them and squatted right down in front of him, eyeing him like a hawk does its prey.
“Does it make you feel better?”
He swallowed; then he scolded himself for allowing himself to feel so intimidated by a seventeen year old girl. Then he scolded himself for thinking of her in such superficial terms, like he’d promised himself – and her – he would no longer do, not even in defense of himself.
The involuntary action of sighing aloud was almost unavoidable, but somehow he resisted with some considerable effort. It would not do him any good to make his frustration obvious to the girl at the heart of it. That thought elicited a silent grumble. His feelings for her were so damn complicated.
“No,” he said, trying very hard to make it not sound forced – or like he was grinding his teeth.
Melanie frowned, though it was obvious any concern on her part was a complete farce.
“Hmm, that’s strange…” she pretended to contemplate. Then she reached up and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, presumably checking for a fever. Despite the circumstances, he felt a jolt shoot through him at the physical contact he had not felt in over three days.
“Aunt Maggie brags her special soup can cure anything,” she continued.
The innocent tone didn’t fool him for a second and it revealed its true colors when she pulled her hand back and narrowed her eyes in a death glare targeted solely for him.
“What a shame it’s going to be to inform her that the one exception to her miracle cure is a lying, ignorant ass.”
She stood up and looked down at him as if he were the scum of the earth. He took a deep breath and prepared to dive into the shark tank.
“Melanie, I can explain—”
She laughed. Once. Short. Mocking. Then she sunk into the chair Kyle had occupied earlier and contemplated him with an amused air, her arms on the arms of the chair and her legs crossed at the knee, for foot bouncing a little and her fingers drumming against the cushions.
“I’m not so sure you can, Jared,” she said. Then she wiggled her eyebrows. “But I’d love to see you try.”
He sat up straighter on the couch and tried to put his thoughts together in a way that would reach some sort of middle ground between the information he was willing to give her and what he had to give her to overcome this…situation he’d created it. Because yes, you moron, you did this to yourself, he reminded himself, not for the first time that day.
But before he could begin his defense, Melanie raised her hand in a silences gesture and his vocal chords stopped working.
“I changed my mind.” His mouth snapped shut. “I’ll ask the questions.”
Shit.
He watched her steadily and finally nodded.
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
She scoffed and her eyes narrowed again, amusement gone; and was that cracking he was starting to hear in her voice when she asked, “Seriously?” His insides tightened.
“Don’t fuck around with me, Jared,” she spat, and his eyes widened. The cursing took him completely for a loop. Somehow it felt wrong coming out of Melanie’s mouth.
He shook himself out of the reverie though to not further incite her anger – he hoped.
“You want to know why I haven’t shown up at the farm the past three days.”
She leaned forward in the chair and glared.
“I want to know why you lied.”
He swallowed. “I didn’t want to hurt you…”
“Oh bullshit,” she barked. There it was again. Was he going to have to get used to her swearing?
“It’s the truth,” he said earnestly. He kept going before she could curse him out again. “Look, your assumption is correct. I haven’t been sick at all this week, but I have a good reason.”
She raised her eyebrows, waiting.
And that, he realized, was the moment. Did he dare tell her he’d been going crazy thinking about her but he knew there was no way in hell he would let himself act on it? Did he lie and say he’d regretted almost kissing her because he’d come to realize he didn’t feel that way about her after all? That would be cruel. Maybe he should completely go in the opposite direction and change tactics, say he went out of town for a few days to visit his brother’s tombstone in the cemetery a town over. That would make her feel really bad for getting angry at him and just might solve the whole uncomfortable situation altogether, except for the fact that it would ensue a whole slew of questions that might be very hard to answer.
Like, why couldn’t he just tell her aunt and uncle that? Why pretend to be sick? Surely they’d understand that. And what if Melanie looked into his story? It was reasonable that he she not trust him after this incident. She could find out that his brother’s tombstone was actually in New York, where he’d once lived. And oh, wouldn’t she just have a field day with that one since he claimed to be a country boy. He wouldn’t be surprised if fiery embers blazed out of her eyes and shot down on him like lasers.
“Well?” she demanded, just as earlier, her patience running thin. As if it had ever really been ‘thick’ to begin with, he muttered inside his head.
“I’ve been…processing,” he said cautiously, allowing himself a moment of triumph for how truthful that vague statement was.
“Processing,” she repeated neutrally. When he just nodded along, she instantly looked annoyed. “Processing what?” she demanded.
She must have sensed he didn’t know what to say next, because she kept going.
“Is the reason you haven’t shown up at the farm all week, because you were ‘sick’,” she used air quotations as she mockingly said it, “Because you’ve been trying to avoid me?”
“Yes,” he said before he could come up with a good lie he’d regret.
She’d sat up in her chair, ready to interrogate him with all her might. His simple answer though made her sink back into her chair. She looked completely crestfallen, and he blamed himself completely. But he didn’t say anything.
He was an ass.
“It’s about what happened the other night…isn’t it?” she asked quietly, all venom gone from her voice.
He swallowed, trying to assure himself his answers were just fine, because hey, they were still the truth, right?
He nodded.
She blinked away tears and he wanted to murder himself. This was so déjà vu it killed him, more than anything because he should know better. He should have learned from the last time.
“Y-you…regret it, almost kissing me.”
It wasn’t a question and he couldn’t find his own answer it. He both regretted it had almost happened and that it hadn’t happened at all.
“Well, I can certainly understand how that would be awkward…” She looked away. “Knowing how I feel and not knowing how to tell me…” Her voice dropped. Then she shook her head and her confidence returned, her what-the-hell-were-you-thinking revived itself. “But honestly, Jared, you’re twenty-six. You can’t run away from your problems like this.” She shook her head, disgusted by him almost. “You judged me at first for being less than twenty. This whole way you’re acting here? That’s younger than me acting. That’s childish.”
He nodded, not denying it.
“I know. I’m coming back tomorrow for sure.”
She sighed. “I won’t tell them,” she finally caved. He looked up at her, surprised and a little confused. “Uncle Jeb and Aunt Maggie. I won’t tell them you really haven’t been sick. I certainly don’t want them to know that I…and that you…” she shook her head rapidly, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve been sick this whole time. They won’t know any better come tomorrow morning, as long as you stick to your story.”
He swallowed. “Thank-you.”
She nodded. “You’re welcome.” She sat up straighter now and uncrossed her legs, pinning them together and clasping her hands around her knees. “And hey, come next Monday, you and I will be fine too. I’ll be over it by then.”
The color drained from his face as she stood to her feet and was clearly preparing to leave.
“Monday? It will take that long?” He hoped he wasn’t sounding judgy, but by the way she tensed suddenly he knew that he was and he cringed inwardly because of it.
“Maybe not,” she allowed, forcing the confidence into her voice. “But I packed a bag before I left this morning. With you MIA this week, no Project Melanie.” She gestured down to her legs and he noticed, somehow for the first time, the handful of bandaids that decorated everywhere from her knees to her calves. Bike injuries. Another shot of guilt flushed through him.
“I’m staying with Sunny the rest of the week,” she continued. “We can hang out for more than one day at a time and I can stop…” she swallowed. “Moping.”
He noticed the embarrassed blush that was beginning to color her face and neck as she turned away. It was clear that emotion had overwhelmed the anger she’d been drilling into him for the last fifteen minutes. He didn’t know which he felt more of, guilt or relief. He decided both was a safe call.
“Melanie, I—”
“No need to explain,” she said quickly, turning back towards him only once more before heading for the sanctuary of the hallway where she likely hoped Sunny would be nearby. “You shouldn’t have lied, period, to any of us. It was very immature,” she scolded, but there was no heat in it like before. “But, I get why you did. Don’t worry…that whole…moment, or…whatever it was. It won’t happen again.”
And then she was gone.
Her conclusion was wrong. Her embarrassment was without true cause. Yet, she’d given him what he told himself was needed: incentive for him not to pursue him or assume embarking on a romantic relationship with him would ever be a good idea.
So why did he feel so damn depressed? It wasn’t just because he had hurt her, which he was seriously annoyed that he’d managed to do that again. Was that the only thing he was good at?
Why – he asked himself – did he have to almost kiss her? They had been just fine with their subtle flirtation, the intimacy that came with teaching her things and sharing meals with her. He could enjoy what he felt because she was none the wiser; because he was just coming across nice, and she was just the girl who might have a crush; but she never assumed it would be more than that, so it wasn’t.
Why the hell had he almost kissed her?
Interrupting his thoughts, Kyle came charging into the apartment. Jared wondered if he pissed at him for the scene just now with Melanie. He braced himself for any more lectures or passionate pleas to give a relationship with Melanie a chance.
“Ian is unbelievable,” Kyle growled, heading straight for the kitchen to retrieve a beer out of the fridge. “He thinks he can just ‘talk things out’ like mom tells him to do every year and miraculously I’ll come back home and bring Sunny with me.”
Jared relaxed. This was about Ian, Kyle’s brother, who he also despised. He could work with this.
“What happened this time?” he inquired. “You sound more pissed off than usual.”
Kyle lowered the beer bottle from his lips.
“Haven’t you heard?” Jared’s brows furrowed. “He’s using Melanie.”
Jared snapped up instantly. What? angrily written across his forehead.
“Yeah,” Kyle confirmed, trudging over. “How do you think Melanie even got into town today?” Jared couldn’t form words. “He picked her up, brought her in, hoping to distract Sunny with her – not that he’s bothered to spend any time with Sunny. At all. And this is his grand plan to get me alone and…” He couldn’t finish. He was so angry he just collapsed into the chair – the same one both he and Melanie had previously sat in. Jared wondered if all angry people would sit in that chair as long as he sat on the couch.
He stood up, hoping to rid himself of the couch curse. He was pissed at Ian for using Melanie, but he wasn’t mad like Kyle. It wasn’t like the guy was trying to seduce her – at least not at the moment. Anger surged through him for a moment at the mere thought of it. Nah, he thought, shaking himself free of the thought. She’d never fall for it.
Or she wouldn’t have when she thought he was maybe interested. Jared, the guy who hadn’t bothered to clarify that her doubts were incorrect just now.
Hell.
“Where’s he now?” he asked, trying to tame the anger he wasn’t sure was directed more at himself or at the fairly innocent Ian.
Kyle scoffed.
“Outside waiting for me.”
Jared’s brows furrowed.
“Does he think you’re coming out?”
“I told him to go to hell,” he said and took another swallow of his beer. Jared took it out of his hand before he could take a second one. “Hey—”
“Let’s get out of here,” Jared said.
“How-”
“Your bedroom’s in back, the window is big enough to slip out of and you’re on the first floor. We can walk around the buildings down two blocks to my truck, since I walked over. He’ll never see us and we can get out of here. By the time we come back, he’ll be gone.”
Kyle contemplated the merits of his friend’s plan.
“He won’t leave without talking to me,” he finally said.
“Your mother sends him once a year, right?” Jared reminded him. Kyle nodded. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you’ve told me his task is to make sure you and your sister are still alive and not living on the street, not to have a heart-to-heart.”
Kyle contemplated again.
“She would prefer the heart-to-heart, but yeah in general her minor requirement is just to know we’re still kicking.”
“There you go,” Jared said. “He’s hung around for three days. While no solid conversation has actually happened, he can obviously see you and Sunny are alive and that this apartment isn’t a shack. Minor requirement accounted for. He can’t hang around here forever. His home is in New York. If we’re gone long enough. He’ll leave.”
Kyle thought some more and then got to his feet.
“You’re right. Let’s go.”
They headed toward the back, both their minds totally refocused – until Kyle brought up the one subjected Jared had hoped he’d forget.
“How’d it go with Melanie?” he asked, one foot out the window.
“Not great.”
“What’d you say to her?” he demanded when he was outside and glaring at him through the open window.
“Not much.”
“What does she think?”
Jared climbed through the window and turned to close it.
“That I’m not into her,” he said. When he turned around, window closed, Kyle was glaring at him.
“You’re a moron.”
Jared nodded, well aware.
“I know,” he said, walking away from the building. Kyle followed, both remaining in silence till they reached Jared’s truck two blocks away.
But there was a bitter taste to it now that he was certain was a completely mental thing on his part and had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that Melanie had refused to let him heat it up in the microwave or on the stove.
“Well?” the feisty brunette asked, hands planted on her hips a few feet away.
Carefully, Jared set the spoon down on the plastic lid sitting next to the bowl on the coffee table in front of him. He looked up at Melanie’s scrunched up face. From this point on he knew he could either lie or tell the truth, neither of which seemed like a viable option.
“It’s good,” he said, trying to sound confident and probably failing. Melanie crossed the few steps between them and squatted right down in front of him, eyeing him like a hawk does its prey.
“Does it make you feel better?”
He swallowed; then he scolded himself for allowing himself to feel so intimidated by a seventeen year old girl. Then he scolded himself for thinking of her in such superficial terms, like he’d promised himself – and her – he would no longer do, not even in defense of himself.
The involuntary action of sighing aloud was almost unavoidable, but somehow he resisted with some considerable effort. It would not do him any good to make his frustration obvious to the girl at the heart of it. That thought elicited a silent grumble. His feelings for her were so damn complicated.
“No,” he said, trying very hard to make it not sound forced – or like he was grinding his teeth.
Melanie frowned, though it was obvious any concern on her part was a complete farce.
“Hmm, that’s strange…” she pretended to contemplate. Then she reached up and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, presumably checking for a fever. Despite the circumstances, he felt a jolt shoot through him at the physical contact he had not felt in over three days.
“Aunt Maggie brags her special soup can cure anything,” she continued.
The innocent tone didn’t fool him for a second and it revealed its true colors when she pulled her hand back and narrowed her eyes in a death glare targeted solely for him.
“What a shame it’s going to be to inform her that the one exception to her miracle cure is a lying, ignorant ass.”
She stood up and looked down at him as if he were the scum of the earth. He took a deep breath and prepared to dive into the shark tank.
“Melanie, I can explain—”
She laughed. Once. Short. Mocking. Then she sunk into the chair Kyle had occupied earlier and contemplated him with an amused air, her arms on the arms of the chair and her legs crossed at the knee, for foot bouncing a little and her fingers drumming against the cushions.
“I’m not so sure you can, Jared,” she said. Then she wiggled her eyebrows. “But I’d love to see you try.”
He sat up straighter on the couch and tried to put his thoughts together in a way that would reach some sort of middle ground between the information he was willing to give her and what he had to give her to overcome this…situation he’d created it. Because yes, you moron, you did this to yourself, he reminded himself, not for the first time that day.
But before he could begin his defense, Melanie raised her hand in a silences gesture and his vocal chords stopped working.
“I changed my mind.” His mouth snapped shut. “I’ll ask the questions.”
Shit.
He watched her steadily and finally nodded.
“Okay. What do you want to know?”
She scoffed and her eyes narrowed again, amusement gone; and was that cracking he was starting to hear in her voice when she asked, “Seriously?” His insides tightened.
“Don’t fuck around with me, Jared,” she spat, and his eyes widened. The cursing took him completely for a loop. Somehow it felt wrong coming out of Melanie’s mouth.
He shook himself out of the reverie though to not further incite her anger – he hoped.
“You want to know why I haven’t shown up at the farm the past three days.”
She leaned forward in the chair and glared.
“I want to know why you lied.”
He swallowed. “I didn’t want to hurt you…”
“Oh bullshit,” she barked. There it was again. Was he going to have to get used to her swearing?
“It’s the truth,” he said earnestly. He kept going before she could curse him out again. “Look, your assumption is correct. I haven’t been sick at all this week, but I have a good reason.”
She raised her eyebrows, waiting.
And that, he realized, was the moment. Did he dare tell her he’d been going crazy thinking about her but he knew there was no way in hell he would let himself act on it? Did he lie and say he’d regretted almost kissing her because he’d come to realize he didn’t feel that way about her after all? That would be cruel. Maybe he should completely go in the opposite direction and change tactics, say he went out of town for a few days to visit his brother’s tombstone in the cemetery a town over. That would make her feel really bad for getting angry at him and just might solve the whole uncomfortable situation altogether, except for the fact that it would ensue a whole slew of questions that might be very hard to answer.
Like, why couldn’t he just tell her aunt and uncle that? Why pretend to be sick? Surely they’d understand that. And what if Melanie looked into his story? It was reasonable that he she not trust him after this incident. She could find out that his brother’s tombstone was actually in New York, where he’d once lived. And oh, wouldn’t she just have a field day with that one since he claimed to be a country boy. He wouldn’t be surprised if fiery embers blazed out of her eyes and shot down on him like lasers.
“Well?” she demanded, just as earlier, her patience running thin. As if it had ever really been ‘thick’ to begin with, he muttered inside his head.
“I’ve been…processing,” he said cautiously, allowing himself a moment of triumph for how truthful that vague statement was.
“Processing,” she repeated neutrally. When he just nodded along, she instantly looked annoyed. “Processing what?” she demanded.
She must have sensed he didn’t know what to say next, because she kept going.
“Is the reason you haven’t shown up at the farm all week, because you were ‘sick’,” she used air quotations as she mockingly said it, “Because you’ve been trying to avoid me?”
“Yes,” he said before he could come up with a good lie he’d regret.
She’d sat up in her chair, ready to interrogate him with all her might. His simple answer though made her sink back into her chair. She looked completely crestfallen, and he blamed himself completely. But he didn’t say anything.
He was an ass.
“It’s about what happened the other night…isn’t it?” she asked quietly, all venom gone from her voice.
He swallowed, trying to assure himself his answers were just fine, because hey, they were still the truth, right?
He nodded.
She blinked away tears and he wanted to murder himself. This was so déjà vu it killed him, more than anything because he should know better. He should have learned from the last time.
“Y-you…regret it, almost kissing me.”
It wasn’t a question and he couldn’t find his own answer it. He both regretted it had almost happened and that it hadn’t happened at all.
“Well, I can certainly understand how that would be awkward…” She looked away. “Knowing how I feel and not knowing how to tell me…” Her voice dropped. Then she shook her head and her confidence returned, her what-the-hell-were-you-thinking revived itself. “But honestly, Jared, you’re twenty-six. You can’t run away from your problems like this.” She shook her head, disgusted by him almost. “You judged me at first for being less than twenty. This whole way you’re acting here? That’s younger than me acting. That’s childish.”
He nodded, not denying it.
“I know. I’m coming back tomorrow for sure.”
She sighed. “I won’t tell them,” she finally caved. He looked up at her, surprised and a little confused. “Uncle Jeb and Aunt Maggie. I won’t tell them you really haven’t been sick. I certainly don’t want them to know that I…and that you…” she shook her head rapidly, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve been sick this whole time. They won’t know any better come tomorrow morning, as long as you stick to your story.”
He swallowed. “Thank-you.”
She nodded. “You’re welcome.” She sat up straighter now and uncrossed her legs, pinning them together and clasping her hands around her knees. “And hey, come next Monday, you and I will be fine too. I’ll be over it by then.”
The color drained from his face as she stood to her feet and was clearly preparing to leave.
“Monday? It will take that long?” He hoped he wasn’t sounding judgy, but by the way she tensed suddenly he knew that he was and he cringed inwardly because of it.
“Maybe not,” she allowed, forcing the confidence into her voice. “But I packed a bag before I left this morning. With you MIA this week, no Project Melanie.” She gestured down to her legs and he noticed, somehow for the first time, the handful of bandaids that decorated everywhere from her knees to her calves. Bike injuries. Another shot of guilt flushed through him.
“I’m staying with Sunny the rest of the week,” she continued. “We can hang out for more than one day at a time and I can stop…” she swallowed. “Moping.”
He noticed the embarrassed blush that was beginning to color her face and neck as she turned away. It was clear that emotion had overwhelmed the anger she’d been drilling into him for the last fifteen minutes. He didn’t know which he felt more of, guilt or relief. He decided both was a safe call.
“Melanie, I—”
“No need to explain,” she said quickly, turning back towards him only once more before heading for the sanctuary of the hallway where she likely hoped Sunny would be nearby. “You shouldn’t have lied, period, to any of us. It was very immature,” she scolded, but there was no heat in it like before. “But, I get why you did. Don’t worry…that whole…moment, or…whatever it was. It won’t happen again.”
And then she was gone.
Her conclusion was wrong. Her embarrassment was without true cause. Yet, she’d given him what he told himself was needed: incentive for him not to pursue him or assume embarking on a romantic relationship with him would ever be a good idea.
So why did he feel so damn depressed? It wasn’t just because he had hurt her, which he was seriously annoyed that he’d managed to do that again. Was that the only thing he was good at?
Why – he asked himself – did he have to almost kiss her? They had been just fine with their subtle flirtation, the intimacy that came with teaching her things and sharing meals with her. He could enjoy what he felt because she was none the wiser; because he was just coming across nice, and she was just the girl who might have a crush; but she never assumed it would be more than that, so it wasn’t.
Why the hell had he almost kissed her?
Interrupting his thoughts, Kyle came charging into the apartment. Jared wondered if he pissed at him for the scene just now with Melanie. He braced himself for any more lectures or passionate pleas to give a relationship with Melanie a chance.
“Ian is unbelievable,” Kyle growled, heading straight for the kitchen to retrieve a beer out of the fridge. “He thinks he can just ‘talk things out’ like mom tells him to do every year and miraculously I’ll come back home and bring Sunny with me.”
Jared relaxed. This was about Ian, Kyle’s brother, who he also despised. He could work with this.
“What happened this time?” he inquired. “You sound more pissed off than usual.”
Kyle lowered the beer bottle from his lips.
“Haven’t you heard?” Jared’s brows furrowed. “He’s using Melanie.”
Jared snapped up instantly. What? angrily written across his forehead.
“Yeah,” Kyle confirmed, trudging over. “How do you think Melanie even got into town today?” Jared couldn’t form words. “He picked her up, brought her in, hoping to distract Sunny with her – not that he’s bothered to spend any time with Sunny. At all. And this is his grand plan to get me alone and…” He couldn’t finish. He was so angry he just collapsed into the chair – the same one both he and Melanie had previously sat in. Jared wondered if all angry people would sit in that chair as long as he sat on the couch.
He stood up, hoping to rid himself of the couch curse. He was pissed at Ian for using Melanie, but he wasn’t mad like Kyle. It wasn’t like the guy was trying to seduce her – at least not at the moment. Anger surged through him for a moment at the mere thought of it. Nah, he thought, shaking himself free of the thought. She’d never fall for it.
Or she wouldn’t have when she thought he was maybe interested. Jared, the guy who hadn’t bothered to clarify that her doubts were incorrect just now.
Hell.
“Where’s he now?” he asked, trying to tame the anger he wasn’t sure was directed more at himself or at the fairly innocent Ian.
Kyle scoffed.
“Outside waiting for me.”
Jared’s brows furrowed.
“Does he think you’re coming out?”
“I told him to go to hell,” he said and took another swallow of his beer. Jared took it out of his hand before he could take a second one. “Hey—”
“Let’s get out of here,” Jared said.
“How-”
“Your bedroom’s in back, the window is big enough to slip out of and you’re on the first floor. We can walk around the buildings down two blocks to my truck, since I walked over. He’ll never see us and we can get out of here. By the time we come back, he’ll be gone.”
Kyle contemplated the merits of his friend’s plan.
“He won’t leave without talking to me,” he finally said.
“Your mother sends him once a year, right?” Jared reminded him. Kyle nodded. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you’ve told me his task is to make sure you and your sister are still alive and not living on the street, not to have a heart-to-heart.”
Kyle contemplated again.
“She would prefer the heart-to-heart, but yeah in general her minor requirement is just to know we’re still kicking.”
“There you go,” Jared said. “He’s hung around for three days. While no solid conversation has actually happened, he can obviously see you and Sunny are alive and that this apartment isn’t a shack. Minor requirement accounted for. He can’t hang around here forever. His home is in New York. If we’re gone long enough. He’ll leave.”
Kyle thought some more and then got to his feet.
“You’re right. Let’s go.”
They headed toward the back, both their minds totally refocused – until Kyle brought up the one subjected Jared had hoped he’d forget.
“How’d it go with Melanie?” he asked, one foot out the window.
“Not great.”
“What’d you say to her?” he demanded when he was outside and glaring at him through the open window.
“Not much.”
“What does she think?”
Jared climbed through the window and turned to close it.
“That I’m not into her,” he said. When he turned around, window closed, Kyle was glaring at him.
“You’re a moron.”
Jared nodded, well aware.
“I know,” he said, walking away from the building. Kyle followed, both remaining in silence till they reached Jared’s truck two blocks away.
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