Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,26
to hear about his parents genuinely meant it, but he would have preferred to be left to his grief. And after so many years, he learned that grief over loss never really went away, it just lurked in the quieter parts of the mind waiting to ambush you.
He was relieved when he pulled out of the trail between the trees and onto the grassy plain where his house stood. “And here we are. The tiniest house for several miles. Probably in the whole state.”
Jacob leaned forward as the truck rolled to a stop. “I’ll never understand you.”
Levi turned the truck off, giving Jacob a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?”
“I guess I just don’t get how a guy can be confident enough to say what’s on his mind ninety-five-percent of the time but acts modest or embarrassed about something like his house. It’s kind of a weird mix.”
“Maybe I’m just weird.”
Maybe?
Levi shot a dirty look in the direction of the disembodied voice. There hadn’t been a chance to let Lou know exactly what Levi thought of his little ‘trick’ pulled on Jacob back at the James’ house. Not that it would be strictly necessary, as he was sure Lou knew full well how Levi felt. It wasn’t going to stop Levi from tearing the spirit up one side and down the other over it. The dirty look would have to serve for now, and it would tell Lou that nothing had been forgiven.
Jacob shook his head, gathering up his bag. “No, I don’t think you’re weird, or well, not any weirder than everyone else is.”
“Then what?” Levi asked.
“I don’t know. I just find it interesting, is all.”
“Interesting without explanation is just frustration.”
“Or fun. Depends on the person.”
Levi snorted as he hopped out of the truck. There was plenty in the world that people didn’t understand, and he and Lou were one of those things. He’d seen how people acted when they were met with something they couldn’t understand, and it was rarely pretty. Violence was the obvious reaction, but disgust and fear were the more common ones, and sometimes Levi would have preferred people try to hit him rather than shrink back in fear.
He shook himself of the dark thoughts as he mounted the steps with Jacob on his heels. As he unlocked the door, he waited for Jacob to say something. Most of the people in Gilcreek wouldn’t have thought twice about leaving their doors unlocked, their windows open. Then again, Jacob was from a big city, and the idea of leaving your house or apartment unlocked was foreign there.
“I’ll start the oven and get the pizza going, make yourself comfortable,” Levi said, waving toward the living room.
“Might as well take the beer with you then,” Jacob said, handing over the six-pack.
Levi took it, thinking that before he might have thought it odd that Jacob had grabbed the inexpensive six-pack of beer without batting an eye. It was true that he’d been working on assumptions born from the odd people he’d known in his time in LA, but it was the only frame of reference he had when it came to people who were artsy. Now that he knew a little more about Jacob, a man from a working-class household, and several years in the military, things about him made a lot more sense. Which also happened to include his beer choice, as well as his appearance and even that odd calm that surrounded him.
He flipped the oven on and pushed the beer into the fridge when he heard Jacob call from the living room, “So about your movies…”
Levi laughed, ducking his head. “I probably should have mentioned that I have the worst taste in movies.”
“I...wouldn’t call it the worst, but I would definitely call it interesting.”
Levi walked into the living room to find Jacob knelt next to the TV, where the movies were stacked on the small shelf beside the entertainment system. Levi’s collection was fairly large, one of the few things he took with him whenever he moved somewhere new. That didn’t mean it was varied.
“I’m sensing a theme here,” Jacob said.
Levi grunted. “Women with guns, women who fight, and a shit ton of horror movies.”
“I think there’s a couple of cartoons in here too.”
“Nostalgia.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
Levi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame. “What do you normally watch?”
“This is the part where I admit that I don’t...really watch movies.”
“Well, you’re the guest, so you have to pick the movie.”
“Not sure