Page 24 of Not Mine To Love

He pulled it out of his pocket, ready to ignore it when he suddenly frowned and answered.

He was short with whomever was on the phone. He unlocked the car, unsmiling with the phone still against his ear.

“Fine,” he said to the person on the other line as I slid in. His hands were tight on the wheel, and his whole body language had changed. Whomever was on the other line wasn’t exactly his favorite person.

“Yeah,” he said into the phone as he pulled off. He glanced at me and finally gave me a big smile. “Becca was a great help.”

I smiled at the glint in his eyes and the underlying sarcasm in his tone. I was the opposite of helpful.

“I gotta get off the phone. I’m driving, and it’s a madhouse out here.”

I looked at him in surprise. There wasn’t another car in sight.

“Okay, will do. I’ll add that to my to-do list,” he mumbled absentmindedly as he hung up without a good-bye.

“Sorry about that,” he said while literally throwing his phone behind him and into the back seat.

I didn’t want to seem nosey, but I couldn’t help but ask, “Was that your worst enemy or something?”

“Close… Annie’s mom.”

“Oh?” I said, pretending to not know that she wasn’t exactly his favorite person.

“Trust me, she dislikes me ten times as much as I dislike her.”

“I can see that.”

He settled into the seat, adjusting his shoulders as if he were tense. He had wide shoulders. Strong shoulders.

I turned away from him and said, “Mind if I turn on some music?”

“I don’t mind at all. Let me guess. You’re a Metallica fan?”

I didn’t even know who Metallica was.

I shook my head. “I just like whatever they plan on the radio.”

“Top 40?”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

“How about Iron Maiden?”

“Who?”

“Okay, how about Ozzy Osbourne?”

“Hey, wasn’t Sharon Osbourne on America’s Got Talent?”

He sighed heavily and nodded. “Yes, that’s his wife.”

“See… I sort of know what you’re talking about.”

“Okay, how about Marilyn Manson? That’s sort of contemporary?”

“Ewww… he’s creepy. I saw one of his music videos from back in the 90s. I think my mom used to listen to him when she was younger.”

He started to laugh. “Stop it. You’re making me feel old.”