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.”