The other girl left Marni alone in front of the Diesel store. Marni then began walking in my direction.
Shit.
Please don’t notice me.
Just as I’d whispered that to myself, her eyes landed right on me.
Fuck.
She gave me the death stare. Sweat dotted my forehead.
Marni pulled out her cell phone, still looking right at me, and I knew exactly who she was calling.
“Is everything okay?” Crystal asked.
Hell no, it isn’t.
My chair scraped against the ground as I got up. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
When Marni saw I was getting up to follow her, she raced away, talking on the phone.
I chased her down the street.
This was like a scene from a movie—one I wanted no part of.
I yelled after her, “Marni! Stop!”
She spoke into the phone, “Now he’s chasing me, because he got busted.”
Running close behind her, I shouted, “Is that Raven?”
She continued to ignore me.
“Let me talk to her.”
She turned around just long enough to say, “No!”
When I caught up to her and tried to grab the phone, she hung up and stuck it down her pants. Well, that’s one way to ensure I backed off.
Both out of breath, we faced each other.
“You’ve got some fucking nerve, you know that?” she spewed.
“It’s not what you think.”
“Don’t play me like that, you punk-ass bitch.”
Well, we’re definitely not in Palm Beach anymore. And honestly…I loved it. Even though this chick hated my guts, I admired how she was standing up for her friend.
I held up my palms. “You need to hear me out.”
“I don’t need to do shit. You kissed Raven the other night—she told me—and now you’re out with some ho. You’re a bastard. And I was so right about you.”
I had to think quickly.
“Shit, what’s that?” I pointed. When she looked behind her, I grabbed the keys that had been sticking out of her pocket.
I shook them at her. “You’re not getting these back until you let me talk.”
She crossed her arms and huffed, “Okay. You have my attention, asshole.”
“That girl you saw me with… She’s a beard.”
Her eyes went wide. “You’re gay?”
“No. But she’s a cover. It’s a long story. I agreed to go out with her as a favor to my brother. He wants me to make her mad so he can swoop in and capitalize on her hating me to make himself look better. Anyway, I had her meet me at my house so my mother could see me leave with her. The only reason I agreed to take her out was to throw my mother off, make her think I was no longer interested in Raven. I want her off my case so I can live my life in peace. I have no desire to be with that girl and nothing has happened, nor will it.”
After a few moments of silence, Marni said, “Why should I believe this?”
“Because it’s the damn truth.” I decided to turn the tables. “Who was that girl you were with? I saw you kiss her.”
Marni’s face turned white.
“None of your damn business.”
“You haven’t told Raven you’re gay. Why?”
She sighed and looked up at the sky. “I…I don’t want things to be weird between us.”
“Do you have feelings for Raven?”
“No! I mean, she’s hot—I guess—but I don’t see her that way. She’s like a sister to me. I plan to tell her. I really want to get it over with. I just haven’t been ready. My mother doesn’t even know.”
“Well, your secret’s safe with me. I won’t say anything. But you have to stop feeding Raven shit about me that’s not true, like telling her I’m gonna hurt her. That’s not my intention. I genuinely like her.”
As I stood here in the middle of the sidewalk, I thought about how ridiculous all of this was.
Then I had an idea. “Come on.”
I started walking back toward City Place.
She followed. “Where are we going?”
“We’re gonna fix this.”
Marni walked faster to keep up. “Fix what?”
“Everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re gonna go back to the girl I was with, try to save that situation for my dumbass brother, then head over to Raven’s and tell her everything—and also the truth about you.”
Her tone was panic-filled. “The truth about me?”
“That you’re gay.”
“What?” She stopped me. “You said you wouldn’t say anything.”
“I didn’t say I was going to do it. You are.”
“No fucking way, Rich Boy.”
We resumed speed-walking.
“Look, Marni. You shouldn’t have to hide who you are any more than I should have to hide who I want to spend my time with. Fuck this shit! Life is too damn short.”
When we returned to the restaurant, Crystal was still in her seat.
“Where did you go?” she asked, putting away the compact she’d been looking in to.
“My friend here is in a bind. I have to help her.” I opened my wallet and placed a wad of cash on the table. “Why don’t you order? Get anything you want. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Just don’t leave.”
Perplexed, she shrugged. “Okay.”
“Good. See you in a bit.”
Marni waited until we were out of earshot to mutter, “She’s so dumb. I would have told you to go fuck yourself.”
I pulled out my phone and called my brother.
When he answered, I said, “Weldon, I’m done with this game. I’m not lying to anyone anymore. I just left Crystal at City Place. She’s at an outdoor table at Amici. She thinks I’m coming back. Now is your chance to step in. Get your ass down here. Let me know when you’re almost here, and I’ll call and cancel our date a couple of minutes before. You can walk by and pretend you happened to be in the area.” I hung up before he could even respond.
“Your brother sounds like a tool,” Marni said.
Ignoring her comment, I asked, “Where is Raven right now?”
“It’s her day off. She’s home.”
“Did you drive here?”
“Yeah. I’m parked in the garage.”
“Alright. We’ll go in my car to her house. I’ll drive you back here afterward to get your car.”
“Why can’t I take my car now?”
“Because I don’t trust you not to take off.”
“Why are you getting involved in my business?”
“Because even though you hate my guts, I feel you, Marni. I know what it’s like to believe you can’t be who you really are, to have to live up to some unrealistic expectation, to have to hide. We might be doing it for different reasons, but I can relate. And you know what? It fucking sucks.”
My words seemed to sink in. She turned to face me. “You’re not gonna force me to tell her, right?”
“No. I wouldn’t do that. But I do think you should. She cares about you. It will be hard, but then it will be over, and you won’t regret it. You shouldn’t have to keep an important part of yourself from anyone, just like I shouldn’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not. We have more in common than you think.”
We arrived at my car and got in.
After we left the garage, the ride was quiet for a while.
Finally she turned to me. “You’re alright, Rich Boy. I might have been wrong about you.”
I cocked a brow. “But wait, I thought I was the devil in sheep’s clothing?”
CHAPTER SIX
* * *
GAVIN
When we got to Raven’s, she was understandably confused to see me standing at her door with Marni.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Can we come in?” I asked.
“We?” She seemed skeptical. “I guess.”
Marni lo
oked sick. Then she just started rambling before I had a chance to explain anything.
“Alright...long story short, I was wrong about Gavin. He wasn’t on a date. I misunderstood. He’ll tell you the story. And…he’s actually pretty cool. The other thing is…I’m gay. So, there’s that.”
So, there’s that. Ohhhkay. She definitely didn’t waste any time.
“I know, Marni. I know,” Raven said, unfazed.
Marni looked shocked. “You know?”
“Yes. I’ve always figured that. You never talk about guys. And you’re too damn outspoken for that to make any sense. I came to the correct conclusion a long time ago, but I didn’t want to ask. I wanted you to tell me.”
“Wow. Okay. So, I stressed over nothing.”
“You did. I love you, and it doesn’t matter to me who you like.” Raven gave her a big hug.
Marni pulled back. “Cool...well, nothing to see here, then. I’ll let you two be.”
That was probably one of the quickest coming-outs in history. But I was glad she’d gotten it over with.
Marni turned to me. “Sushi on Friday?”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
Raven looked between us, confused. “Sushi?”
“Yeah, we got to talking in the car and realized we both love it.” Marni said. “And Gavin knows someone who can hook us up at The Oceanic.” She grinned at me before heading toward the door.
I smiled back. “Wait, I thought I needed to drive you back to your car at City Place.”
“Nah. I’ll bus it over there or have my girl pick me up. Catch you guys later.”
Faster than I could blink, she was gone.
It got really quiet after she left, though the tension in the air was practically audible.
Raven faced me. “What the heck happened? One second she’s calling me ratting you out for being on a date. The next, you two show up at my house together like you’re best friends. Then she randomly comes out?”
“We bonded pretty quickly during the ride. We determined we had a lot more in common than she’d thought, and also that I am not, in fact, the devil. So we made a lot of progress in a short amount of time.”
“And you guys are hanging out now, too?”
“Yeah, but you’re welcome to come,” I teased. But things were still serious here. “I have to explain why I was with that girl.”
Her tone was bitter. “No, you don’t. I’m not your girlfriend. You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
“Okay, but I want to.”
She shrugged.
I spent the next several minutes telling her about my agreement with Weldon.
After I’d finished, she shook her head. “God, your brother is such a dick.”
“Yeah. I totally agree. But I thought it might be worth it if it would get my mother off my case for a while.” I moved a few steps closer. “I haven’t been able to think straight since our kiss the other night.”
She tensed and moved back. Something was off.
My heart sank. “Raven, what’s up? Talk to me.”
She looked down at her feet for a moment. “I’ve done a lot of thinking since that night in your car. As much as I loved kissing you, Gavin, I still don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go any further. I’m not the kind of girl who can mess around with someone for the summer and not get attached. Not to mention, my mother saw us—well, not what we were doing—but she saw your car. She knows I was out with you.”
I shut my eyes. “Shit.”
“She didn’t tell me not to see you again, but I saw the fear in her eyes. She’s worried about her job, and I don’t want to put that kind of stress on her. I just don’t see how this could work.”
My gut felt empty, as if everything had been yanked out. I’d gone from feeling like I was walking on air the past couple of days to this.
How could I argue with her, though? She was right on every level. I couldn’t keep pushing this if it was only going to end badly.
Sitting down on the couch, I pulled on my hair in frustration. “This fucking sucks.”
“I know.”
“How am I just supposed to forget what kissing you felt like? And it’s not just that. I like your company. I love being around you.”
A pained look crossed her face. I knew she wasn’t happy with her decision, either.
“Well...we could still hang out, I guess. Maybe if Marni came along, it would be a little easier for us not to cross the line.”
That sounded absolutely fucking miserable. I didn’t want to hang out casually with her when she was all I could think about.
“This blows, Raven. Seriously blows. But I get it.”
She looked down at her phone. “Shit. I have to go.”
I stood up. “Where are you going?”
“I have jiu-jitsu.”
“Oh. Cool.” I’d always wanted to see her in action. “You mind if I come watch? I’m really curious.”
She hesitated. “I’m not sure I can concentrate if you’re there.”
“I promise I’ll stay out of the way. You won’t even notice me.”
Raven took a moment to think. “Okay.”
Yes. “Your mom’s at work, right? How do you normally get there?”
“I walk. It’s a couple of miles.”
“So, if I drive you, you don’t have to leave right this second?”
She cracked a smile. “Correct.”
“Let’s go grab coffee, and then I’ll take you.”
***
After we went to Starbucks, I drove her to the studio and took a seat in the corner. It was so freaking cool to see Raven in her element, dressed in her white kimono.
The instructor split the class into pairs. Raven was teamed up with a guy who was pretty big and looked a few years older than me. Watching her get physical with him sucked, especially since she’d pretty much ended us earlier. I never took myself for the jealous type, but this hit me hard.
I learned a shit ton just by watching her, though—how she controlled her distance and why that was one of the key elements of jiu-jitsu. My jealousy aside, it was fascinating to watch Raven up against someone so much bigger. As she’d told me, technique seemed to matter more than the size of the opponent.
I watched as she pinned him down into a mount position, which immobilized him. Then she locked her legs under his.
Holy shit. This girl is a badass. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but this wasn’t exactly it.
The instructor stopped the action from time to time to explain various things to the less-experienced people in the class.
“You see how when he’s on the ground, his arm can only go so far back? If he tries to punch from this position, his power is limited, giving her an advantage.”
At one point, Raven lost control, and the guy got her pinned down. Once again I found my blood pressure rising.
Get the fuck off my girl.
Rather than try to get up, she somehow locked her legs around his back. The instructor explained that Raven’s goal wasn’t to get up, but rather to keep her opponent down.
I swear, I’d never wanted to kill another person as much as I wanted to kill this dude for getting to tumble around on the floor with her. But damn, she really could handle him. Even when she lost control, she knew how to gain it back.
A strong sense of relief came over me when the session ended. As thrilling as it was to see her in action, I didn’t think I could endure much more.
My short-lived peace ended when the guy she’d been practicing with came up behind her. I listened intently from my corner.
“Raven, wait,” he called.
“What’s up?”
“You wanna go grab a coffee or something?”
“No. I can’t. I’m sorry. My friend is here waiting.”
He looked seriously disappointed. Get in line, asshole.
“Okay. Maybe another time,” he said.
“Yeah.”
Yeah? She plans to go out with him? Or
was she just trying to be nice?
With what felt like smoke coming out of my ears, I waited as she got changed.
About five minutes later, Raven finally emerged from the locker room.
“What did you think?” she asked.
I think I’m a hopeless, jealous prick.
As we walked together to the door, I tried hard not to let my funk show.
“I can’t even believe what I just witnessed. You’re so damn good.”
She looked proud. “Thank you. It’s definitely a passion.”
“I can tell. I was surprised that your class was co-ed, just because some of the moves are—”
“They look sexual.”
Even hearing her admit it brought out that weird rage again.
“Yeah. You were basically mounting him. I wanted to punch that guy so many times. He seemed to like it…a lot. So much so, he wanted…coffee.”
“Today was the first day he ever insinuated anything. He’s no one, Gavin.”
“He’s no one who wants to fuck you.” Jesus. Can you at least try to hide it? I shook my head. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.”
Raven said nothing in response to my little outburst. I could only imagine what she was thinking.
We got into my car and stayed parked, sitting in tense silence.
“Anyway, I think it’s cool the class is co-ed,” I said, trying to break the ice. “That really helped me see that it’s about skill, not size.”
“The way my instructor explained it when I signed up is that in the real world, you wouldn’t get a choice about who you’re up against in an attack, so it’s beneficial for me to work with both men and women.”
“That makes sense. And I know you said it’s not all about self-defense for you, but it still has to be so empowering.”
“Yeah. I mean, I never want to feel vulnerable. Knowing what my mother went through with my father, I feel more secure about handling the unexpected with these skills—even if I don’t want to ever have to use them for that purpose. It also keeps my mind focused. When I’m really into it, it’s impossible to dwell on stuff that’s bothering me. So, in the moment, it helps me to not worry.”
“What do you worry about?”
“A lot of things...but mainly not finding my purpose in life. I don’t feel like I have any clue why I’m here yet—on this planet, you know?”
The Day He Came Back Page 6