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Reggie stands and steadies me, holding my face in his huge paws. “You’re going to be all right. You’ve been using me as your crutch for some time. I’ve gotten you this far. The training wheels are off now, and it’s up to you to keep pedaling the rest of the way.”
A flood blurs my vision. “I don’t want to ride without you.”
Reggie pulls me against his shoulder, holding the back of my head with his hand. “I’ll always be with you, son. Always.”
“What if I fuck up and I need you? What happens when you’re not here?”
“You’re not going to fuck up, you hear me?” His grip on me tightens. “Promise yourself you won’t fuck up, and you won’t.”
“How do you know?” I ask between sobs.
“Because I believe in you. Now it’s time you believe in yourself.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Present
Carla
“Carla Evans, get your ass in this apartment and tell me where you were last night!”
I bury my face in my hands as I hit the top step. “Mal, it’s early. Can you take it down an octave, or seven?”
“I most certainly will not. You spent the night with someone and I need to know all the details.”
“Coffee first. Talkie later.”
She thrusts a steaming mug into my hands and guides me to the couch. “You are not leaving for class until you tell me everything.”
I gulp down half my coffee. “Before I say anything, you have to promise to remain calm.”
“I promise.” She makes an X over her heart.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath. “I spent the night at TJ’s.”
I’m stunned by a sound that I’m sure can only be used by bats to communicate with one another.
“You promised to stay calm. I think you just achieved a higher octave than Mariah Carey.”
“I wouldn’t have promised that if I’d have known what you were going to say! I knew you were into him. I knew you guys were hiding something.”
“We’re not hiding anything. We were hanging out and it got late. He didn’t want me driving home so I stayed the night. No big deal.”
Mal’s face contorts. “You had an adult sleepover with the hottest man on earth and all you did was sleep?”
“Yes. Now can I please get ready for class?”
Her head shakes. “I’ve never been so disappointed in you.”
“Good. Considering we just met, I don’t want to set the bar too high. Better that you’re disappointed now.”
She flings a pillow in my direction as I scurry to the bathroom.
I’m not lying to Mallory. All TJ and I did last night was sleep. But my gut tells me it was so much more than that. He opened up to me. He trusted me enough to let me in. And the way he held me while we slept wasn’t platonic.
I’m entering into uncharted territories. Joe is all I’ve known. The only one I’ve ever dated. We were kids when we met. It was innocent and we fell in love. Everything was simple.
This thing with TJ isn’t comparable. But what is it?
