Touch And Go - Aiden Bates Page 0,79

in here?”

“Door was unlocked, you idiot. You know how dangerous that is?” He didn’t add the especially in this neighborhood. It was implied.

I pushed my fingers into Uno’s scruff and gave her a rub while she panted happily in my face. “Yeah, some mean rescue guy and his big scary dog might walk in and make themselves at home. Again.”

“Good one. Dude, you need a shower.” He moved my laptop from my milk crate ‘coffee table’ then sat down, a huge Tupperware container on his knee.

“I was tired. I worked last night.” Then I sat at the bar for a few too many rounds of welcome back drinks. Not that it was his business.

“Huh? I thought you lost your job.” Eli was right. I had. Too many missed shifts while I’d been caught up in my feelings about Ben, and the bar downtown had stopped offering me hours. More proof that I wasn’t worth shit.

I flapped my hand to skip over the long explanation. “New job. Old job.”

He and Uno both cocked their heads, stared, confused.

I gave my face one more good rub then pulled myself into an upright position. “I lost my job at the bar downtown for being away for so long, but my friend Julie got me my old job back. At Zucino’s.”

“Oh, shit, for real? That place is great. It’s kind of my local.”

“Mm-hmm…yep.” Of course, it was. And it was close to the Vanguard Tower. I stared at him, daring him to say something about Derek. In the two weeks we’d been apart, in all the visits from his brothers, no one ever mentioned him. And he sure as hell hadn’t called. It made his brothers’ visits all the more bittersweet. Having company helped, and the new-old job cleared my head, but my heart was still a hollow shell. Part of me thought he would have reached out, but the rest of me was quick to remember I wasn’t the type of guy anyone worth a damn would go out of their way to reach for.

“Well, I brought you this lasagna and a salad because I thought you were an unemployed bum, but now I hear you’re gainfully employed. Still a bum, though…” Eli had a smile that could have melted the anger off a blind man.

“Hey. Rude.” But I smiled back.

“Rude but true. Look at you. That hair is scary.”

I hauled myself up and shuffled to the bathroom. “You’re not kidding.” My reflection was a joke. Hair at all angles and in need of a trim, heavy bags under my eyes, and the sunken cheeks of a traumatized and heartbroken kid who hadn’t eaten properly for two weeks. My face was mostly healed though, and my wrist was good too.

“Have you seen any of the others?” Eli leaned one of his broad shoulders against the frame of the door and patted Uno as she sat at his feet and watched me wash my face.

“Yeah, everyone but Matt so far.” Maybe I’d done something to offend him. Or maybe he just didn’t like me. Couldn’t blame him.

“Cool. They helping you out with anything?” Anything like my broken heart, he meant. No. Short of one of them kidnapping me again, the chances of me ever seeing Derek again were slim.

“Yeah, they bring food. Nothing homemade though.” On my way past him, I took the bowl of food from his hands and peeled open a corner to take a deep sniff of the lasagna. “Mm. Thanks for this.”

“You been eating?”

“Some.” When they forced me to choke down a few bites, but I didn’t have much of an appetite these days. I shrugged and put the container in the fridge beside the six-pack of beer that Richie brought over and cupcakes Braxton decorated with some artsy-looking designs to matched the pajamas he always wore. At least the fridge was well-stocked. And from that, if Eli wanted to assume I was well adjusted and eating, then I wasn’t going to correct him. I didn’t want it to get back to Derek that I couldn’t take care of myself.

I closed it and moved around Eli and Uno to make a cup of tea.

“So, what’s the plan?” He looked me over, and I tried to ignore the judgment in his eyes.

“The plan… Keep moving. I’ve got a job interview tomorrow, a computer gig.”

“No shit?” He looked impressed, and I hated that I liked having that effect on him. It reminded me of how Derek looked at me, proud.

“Yeah, sounds like it