“What? No, they didn’t.”
“Yeah, they did. Mom and Dad used to talk about sometimes. They weren’t really fans of you liking him.”
My confusion magnifies. “They weren’t?”
He nods. “I’m not sure if you still like him that way—you’re more harder to read these days—and I’m not positive why Mom and Dad didn’t like Blaine, but I do know that I was a teenage guy once and spent a lot of time hanging out with teenage guys that were like Blaine, and trust me, it’s better if you just let that crush stay a crush.”
“Is this your way of trying to give me dating advice?” I question, because that’s new.
He wavers. “If I had my way, none of you girls would date until you were, like, twenty-five, but I’m also not stupid enough to believe that’ll happen, so all I can do is give you some advice. Blaine won’t be good for you. At least, not right now. Maybe when he’s older, but that depends on how much he changes.”
“Okay.” I give a considering pause. “What about West?”
“Hmm …” he mutters. “Is there an option C, where no guy has to be in the equation?”
“No, I’m not a nun.”
“You could be, if you wanted to,” he says. When I narrow my eyes at him, he laughs. “Fine. West is fine. At least, he’s better than Blaine. But let’s just leave the nun idea out there, okay?”
I start to roll my eyes when the front door opens.
I quickly clear my throat and give Loki a pressing look, urging him to please stop talking about boyfriends and nuns.
He just chuckles under his breath, which annoys me, but at least he seems to be in a decent mood. I wonder why, since we’re supposed to be talking about how I got detention at school.
Maybe he doesn’t know why.
I don’t really get a chance to ask him either since West walks in with the folder of papers in his hands. His eyes immediately stray in Loki’s direction before settling on me.
“Here they are,” he tells me, anxiety evident in his tone.
Is he anxious over the papers or Loki? It’s really hard to tell. And Loki isn’t making it easier as he puts his humor aside and goes into formal mode.
“So, what’re in these papers that I’m supposed to be looking at?” he asks as he picks up the takeout bag and makes his way over to the table.
West’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “Um … They’re these papers that I took from Eli—my dad …” He huffs out a frustrated exhale.
“They’re these papers that Eli, who’s supposed to be his dad, tried to make him sign,” I chime in for him, offering him a small I-got-this smile. Then I take the folder from him and set it down in front of Loki as he takes a seat at the table.
His forehead furrows. “Supposed to be his dad?”
I nod, taking a seat at the table and signaling for West to come sit down, too. Then the two of us give Loki a recap of what happened today. Well, minus anything that has to do with the blackmailer.
While we talk, we eat. Since Loki bought extra food, West eats with us.
During the half an hour conversation, I think about my parents a few times, remembering how my family would eat dinner around the table. This may not be the exact situation, but I find a bit of comfort in it. If only we weren’t talking about how West’s fake parents are practically trying to screw him out of his inheritance.
“A guy I went to school with is a lawyer,” Loki says once we finish explaining everything to him. “If you want, I can call him up and see if he can look into this.”
West pops a fry into his mouth. “Is he from Honeyton?”
Loki shakes his head as he takes a sip of his drink. “No. He lives in Fareland. And he’s pretty trustworthy.”
West nods, wiping his fingers onto a napkin. “All right. Thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll call him tomorrow and let Lex know what I find out.” Loki rises to his feet, collects the folder of papers, and looks at me. “I have some inventory to fill out for the store, so I’ll be up in my room. Once you’re finished with dinner, come up so we can talk about what happened at school, okay?”
Le sigh. Somehow, in the midst of everything tonight, I managed to conveniently forget that I got detention.
I dunk a fry into a cup of fry sauce. “Okay.”
“And make sure it’s sooner rather than later,” he warns then walks out of the kitchen, leaving West and me alone.
I stuff the fry into my mouth then wipe the grease off my fingertips. “Do you feel any better now?”
West is staring at the table but shifts his gaze to me and nods. “Actually, I kind of do. Thanks.” A small smile graces his lips, and then he leans across the table and lightly brushes his lips across mine. He tastes like salty fries, but that’s okay. I probably do, too. “Thank you for doing that,” he tells me as he slants back.
“Of course.” I smile at him. “What’re friends for?”
“You’re better than all my friends, Lex,” he says in all seriousness. “I wouldn’t even trust anyone else with this information.”
My mind fleeting wanders back to what Loki said, how he’s known for a while that West likes me simply because of the way he was looking at me. If that’s true, how did I not see it? Because I was so blinded by my crush on Blaine?
Man, if that’s true, then talk about pathetic.
Ping.
West’s phone goes off, startling us both. Rubbing his hand across his forehead, he digs his phone out of his pocket and reads the message. I notice a visible change in his expression as he does, his features tightening, the corners of his lips tilting downward.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
He nods, pocketing his phone. “I’m just supposed to be somewhere, so I need to go.”
I eye him over, unsure if he’s being truthful or not. “Are you sure that’s it?”
He offers me a forced smile. “Of course.” Then he pushes the chair back from the table and rises to his feet.
I stand up, too. “Was the message from Loraine and Eli?”
Wisps of his hair fall into his eyes as he shakes his head. “I blocked their number for now.”
“Oh. That’s probably a good idea.” But that also leaves me questioning who texted him something that made his mood plummet.
Maybe I’m just overthinking this? Maybe the blackmailer is making me a worrier? Maybe I need to chill out?
But, as I walk him to the door with silence building between us, worry continues to stir through me.
Something’s wrong.
However, I don’t know how to get the truth out of him.
He wraps his fingers around the doorknob then pauses and turns to me. “You want to ride with me to school tomorrow?”
“Sure.”
His frown morphs into a smile, but he doesn’t say anything.
“What’s that look for?” I wonder.
He rolls his tongue in his mouth. “It’s nothing.”
“No, it’s clearly something.” I cross my arms and stare him down. “So spit it out, dude.”
“It really is nothing,” he assures me. “I was just thinking about how you didn’t even have to think about it when I asked you, which means you’re starting to like me.”
I hold up my hand with my finger and thumb a sliver of an inch apart. “Maybe just a tiny bit.”
His smile widens. “Liar.” Then he dips his head and kisses me, surprising me so much that I stumble and grab his arms for support. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he whispers against my lips. Then he moves back, smiling at me one final time before walking out the door.
I work to get my breathing under control, something his kiss did. Then I start to lock up the house. As I’m setting the alarm, though, it dawns on me that Zhara isn’t home yet.
I take out my phone and send her a text.
Me: Where are you?
Zhara: I’m hanging out with Benton. Why? Is something wrong?
Me: No. I was just wondering where you were.
/>
Zhara: Oh, okay. Well, I’ll be home in an hour.
Me: Okay. Have fun. ;)
I put the phone away and slowly make my way up to Loki’s bedroom. When I enter, he’s lounging on the bed with papers scattered around him. I knock on the doorframe so he knows I’m there. When he glances up at me with a frown on his face, I expect him to go straight into a lecture about getting detention. But he doesn’t.
“Lex, I don’t want you getting involved in this thing with Loraine and Eli,” he says as he sets the paper he’s holding down.
“I’m not really involved,” I inform him. “I’m just helping West out.”
“I know, but …” He removes his glasses, sets them down on the nightstand, and then scoots to the edge of the bed, lowering his feet to the floor. “I don’t want you getting involved in anything that has to do with them. Those two aren’t the kind of people you want to get mixed up with; trust me. They will destroy your life if they feel like you’re threatening theirs in any way.”
“How …? Why are you saying this?”
“Because I’m trying to protect you.”
“You’re being vague.”
“I know. And I’m sorry about that. For now, I just need you to trust me on this.”
Confusion webs through me. “What about West? We said we’d help him.”
“And we’re going to,” he assures, “by giving these papers to my lawyer friend and letting him handle this the legal way.”
“You’re keeping something from me,” I state with annoyance.
“I know. And I wish I didn’t have to, but for now, it’s for the best. Maybe one day, after this is all taken care of, I’ll tell you. To protect you, I’m going to keep what I know to myself.” He offers me an apologetic look.
“Does this …? Does this have to do with West, too?”
“No, just Loraine and Eli. Like I said, I have nothing against West.” He loosens his tie. “In fact, after seeing you with him at dinner, I’m kind of glad you’re hanging out with him.”
“Really?” I ask in doubt.
“Yes, really.” His brow arches. “Should I not be glad?”
I push away from the doorframe. “No. I’m just wondering what you saw that made you think that.”
He pulls off his tie. “You seemed lighter.”
“I did?”
“Yeah.” He tosses his tie onto the bed. “And while I don’t want to put more heaviness on you, we need to talk about what happened at school.” He crosses his arms. “Why did you cut class?”
I crinkle my nose. “I wasn’t really cutting class. I was just late.”
“Yeah, but why?”
“Because I needed to talk to West about something—something private—and he wanted to talk about those papers, so we went out to his car, and the conversation ended up going for longer than I expected.” I offer him the partial truth, not wanting to tell him about how I made out with West after the conversation.
He rubs his hand over his jawline. “What did you need to talk to him about?”
I shrug. “A bunch of drama that’s going on between Masie, Blaine, and me.”
He eyes me over. “What sort of drama?”
I grimace. “Masie and Blaine are dating, and Masie knew I liked Blaine, so it kind of feels like she stabbed me in the back, especially because Masie told Blaine that I liked him.”
He hesitates. “Can I be real with you for a moment?”
I nod. “I’d rather you be real than lie.”
He slants forward and rests his arms on his legs. “I’ve never thought Masie was a good friend to you. She always treated you so poorly. So, while I wish I could say this is a surprise, it’s not. And I also hope that maybe after this, you’ll let the friendship fade out.”
“It’s already faded,” I assure him. “Although, that kind of leaves me friendless.”
“You’re not friendless. You have your brothers and sisters. And I know for a fact Zhara would love for you two to be close again.” He fleetingly pauses. “It also looks like you have West. Though, no more hanging out in your bedroom while no one’s home, okay?” He gives me a firm look.
I give him a salute. “Yes, boss.”
He rolls his eyes but smiles. “I’m not going to ground you for getting detention, but only because you’ve been behaving better over the last handful of days. As long as you keep it up, I think having detention is punishment enough.”
He’s letting me off the hook? Seriously?
“Okay … Thanks.” I’m so confused, but it’s not like I’m going to argue.
“How did painting the store go today?” he asks as he turns back to the papers on his bed.
“It was fine. The owner wasn’t a total douchebag, so that’s a plus.”
“Good. I just hope you learned your lesson.”
“I did,” I promise. In more ways than I can ever explain.
The last thing I ever want is to put myself in another situation where this blackmailer can get more dirt on me. Or where they can corner me in an alleyway and try to scare the crap out of me.
“I hope so,” he mumbles, getting distracted by his papers. “I want to start having family dinners again. I also think you and I should set a time and date when we can sit down and discuss what you want to do after graduation.”
Ugh, the dreaded G word. It’d be fine, except I have no clue what I want to do.
I chew on my thumbnail. “What if I don’t know what I want to do?”
“That’s fine. Maybe us talking about it will help give you some ideas.”
“Um … Okay.” Doubtful. But again, I’m not about to argue.
I start to walk out of the room to go take a shower, do my homework, and then attempt to draw that tattoo I saw on that guy’s neck.
“And Lex?” Loki calls out, causing me to pause. “Thanks for talking to me and for … well, being cooperative about this.”
“Thanks for not grounding me. And for fixing my car.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He wavers. “Well, I’ll still ground you if I need to.”
I laugh softly then walk out of the room. I grab some clothes, take a quick shower, and then get set up in my bed with my pencils and sketchbook. I’ve just drawn the first line when someone knocks on my door.
“Come in,” I call out as I draw another line while attempting to visualize the tattoo on the guy’s neck.
“Hey,” Zhara greets as she walks into my room.
“Hey,” I reply, setting the pencil and sketchbook down on the bed.
Her gaze tracks the movements then her brows rise in surprise. “You’re drawing again?”
I give a dismissive shrug. “Not really. I just saw this tattoo today that looked kind of cool, so I’m trying to draw it.”
“Oh.” She drums her fingers against the sides of her legs. “Are you getting a tattoo?”
“Not now. Maybe one day, though.” I scoot to the edge of the bed. “I’m just drawing it up so West can see it.”
“West, huh?” Interest sparkles in her eyes. “I heard a rumor around school that you two are dating. Is that the fake dating think you were telling me about?”
I scratch my arm. “No …”
“So, you guys are really dating now?”
I nod.
“Really?” A smile breaks across her face. “I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“That he liked you.”
“Since when?”
“Since forever.”
I gape at her. “Why does everyone in this house keep saying this?”
She laughs, stepping farther into my room. “Because every time West would come over, it was pretty clear he liked you. He always would stare at you and flirt with you.”
“He didn’t flirt with me,” I correct. “He teased me and annoyed the crap out of me.”
“He teased/flirted with you,” she insists. “Like when we were in grade school and Jay would pull your hair because he had a crush on you.” I try t
o keep my expression neutral at her mention of Jay, but I must fail since she says, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I say with a shrug. “I just don’t like Jay.”
“I don’t blame you. He’s kind of an … asshole now.”
Despite the heavy conversation, despite the emotions stewing inside me, I can’t help myself. I bust up laughing.
“Did you just swear?”
“I …” Puzzlement creases her features. “I didn’t, did I?”
“You totally did.” I rein in on my laughter the best that I can. “I seriously can’t remember the last time I heard you swear.”
“Yeah, well…” She exhales exhaustedly. “I was hanging out with Benton and his band today, and they’ve all got filthy mouths. I think I must’ve picked up on it or something.” She looks guilty for a moment.
“Zee, you don’t need to feel guilty for swearing. It’s perfectly okay not to be perfect all the time. Not that swearing is even bad. You just have it in your head that it is.”
“I know,” she admits. “I’m just … I’m trying to figure out who I am and it’s hard.”
Story of my damn life. “I get that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I crisscross my legs. “So, are you gonna do this whole road trip, fake dating thing?”
“I think so. I mean, Loki didn’t completely say yes yet, but he also didn’t say no either.”
“He seemed super chill tonight. Maybe you should try to get a confirmed answer from him now.”
“Okay. Yeah, I’ll do that.” She spins around to walk out, but then she turns right back around. “Actually, I almost forgot the reason I came in here. I need to borrow an outfit from you, if you’re okay with that?”
I lift a shoulder. “Sure. But why?” I glance at her shorts, pink shirt, and strappy sandals get-up. “My clothes are definitely not your style.”
“That’s kind of the point,” she explains. “I need to look more rebellious, so I’ll look like I’m actually someone Benton would date.”
Irritation bites through me. “Did he say that to you? Because if he did, I don’t think you should do this.”
She swiftly shakes his head. “No, Benton’s been really nice to me, Lex, I promise. But we talked about it, and if I’m going to fit in with the band’s image, I need to dress differently.” She shifts her weight and wraps her arms around herself. “Plus, I know that no one would look at me right now and think someone like Benton would be interested in me.”
A Truthful Kiss: (Signed with a Kiss, Book 3) Page 9