Ivan: Dude. It’s karaoke night at Fisher’s. Wanna hang out?
The time on my phone indicates it’s 6:10 p.m.
“Hey, I’m heading to Fisher’s after this. Want to come with?” I ask Seth.
He glances at his wrist watch. “Sure. I have a friend coming over to my house in about an hour from now, so I won’t stay long.”
Joe’s working on a blue truck at the front of the shop when Seth and I emerge from inside the workshop. I pull out of the parking lot and wave at him as we drive off.
I park the truck a few blocks away from Fisher’s Gold, lock the doors, and then head to the coffee shop. A guy who looks like he dropped from the Renaissance era is yelling into the microphone, swiping his dark hair from his eyes as he belts out the lyrics from “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” by Aretha Franklin. Seth chuckles and shakes his head.
“Think you sing better than that dude?” I tease him, ruffling his hair.
He rolls his eyes. “Sign me up.”
I laugh, scanning the almost full room for my friends. And what I see freezes the laughter in my throat. Levi is sitting between MJ and Grace. His blond friend from the concert is nowhere in sight. My hand bunches into a fist, and I growl, “Come on, Seth.”
Grace laughs at whatever Levi is saying. My stomach churns with acid because that same laugh aimed at him is the same one that makes my heart race.
“Er, Sol?” Seth calls from beside me. “You okay, bro?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“You kind of look like you’re ready to barf.”
I glance down at him and grimace. “My stomach feels kinda funny. It will pass.”
“Yo, dudes.” Ivan waves us over. Three sets of eyes turn in our direction. Grace’s eyes widen in surprise, then a wide grin follows. The smile on Levi’s face disappears fast, replaced by a dip of his eyebrows.
I nod my head at him in greeting; one of my brows goes up as if to say, “Do you have a problem, man?”
His gaze shifts to Seth and he reaches his hand across the table, introducing himself to Seth. “Levi Carter.”
Seth shakes his hand and mutters, “Seth Kruger.” He pulls back his hand and thrusts both of them inside his shorts pockets.
With the introductions done, I usher Seth to sit on the only available chair at the table next to Ivan, then grab one of the only free chairs from a nearby table and set it next to Seth.
After ordering a mango smoothie for Seth and an iced coffee for me, I sit back and try to relax. Ivan tries to pull me into conversation, but I can’t stop eavesdropping on the conversation across the table.
Ivan and MJ high-five each other when a woman at the temporary stage calls their names. They head toward her and grab a microphone each. As usual, they sing “Alone” by Heart.
I steal a gaze to my right at Levi, and my jaw clenches.
What is she telling him? What is he telling her? And the moment my eyes fall on her lips, the scene at the confessional booth flashes inside my head.
Seth elbows me in the ribs, and I wince, ripping my gaze from Grace.
“What?” I snap at him, then immediately regret my tone. “What is it?”
“You like her?” Seth asks, forcing my attention back to him.
I cough once, clear my throat. “She’s just a friend.”
“But you like her more than a friend. I see the way you’re looking at her.” His eyes bore into mine accusingly.
I pinch the bridge of my nose with two fingers. “No—I mean, yeah. I’ve known her for a very long time and she, um, I . . .” I trail off. I can’t lie to him about my feelings for Grace. I’ve done enough lying the past few weeks to last me a lifetime.
“I thought you wanted to be a priest,” he asks, disappointment filling his features.
“I do.”
“Yeah? Is that why you’re looking at her like you want to, I don’t know, kiss her or something?”
Oh, God. Am I that transparent?
“Look, why don’t you finish your drink, then we can talk outside, okay?”
He pushes his chair back and stands up. He stares at me for several seconds, then shakes his head, turns and shuffles toward the door, shoulders stiff and hands shoved in his shorts pockets. The look of disappointment on his face plays on a loop in my mind’s eye, and I panic. I’ve let him down. I’ve let myself down. I need to talk to him. I have no idea what I’ll say, but I can’t let him ride his bike home in anger.
“Hey. Everything okay?”
I glance up to find Grace standing next to me.
I push my chair back and get to my feet. “Everything’s fine.” My voice comes out much harsher than I intended.
Grace flinches and takes a step back. “Okay! You don’t have to bite my head off.”
I sigh wearily. “I’m sorry.” I glance out the window where Seth is pacing in front of Fisher’s Gold, his fingers linked on the back of his head. “I need to go talk to him.”
My gaze cuts over to Levi, then back to Grace. She’s probably much better off with him or someone else than hanging around a conflicted jackass like me.
I open my mouth to tell her exactly that, but snap it shut as I remember something my uncle used to tell me when he started mentoring me. Your words have the power to comfort, break, or encourage someone. So be very careful what you say.
“Hey, could you let Ivan know I took Seth home?”
She nods, watching me with those beautiful eyes that say so much, yet so little. And I know without a doubt, that’s the part of her I’m going to miss the most.
Seth is no longer pacing outside Fisher’s Gold. I scan the area and catch a glimpse of him already stalking toward the spot where I parked my truck. I jog after him, my mind racing through different excuses, anything, to explain to this boy who let me into his life and trusts me. But all I see is the way he looked at me before he fled the coffee shop.
He stops at the back of the truck and unlatches the tailgate rear door, then clambers onto the truck bed.
“Seth, wait!”
Seth stops long enough to send me a glare over his shoulder, then grabs the handlebars of his bike. He drags it across the bed, then hops down from the truck and proceeds to try lifting it up.
I grip one of the bars with one hand, halting his progress. “Can we talk?”
“What’s there to talk about?”
“You can’t ride your bike home like this. You’re angry and besides, it’s getting dark.” I loosen my hold, then ask again in a softer tone, “Can we talk?”
“I can’t talk to you right now.” The bike jerks as he tries to pull it out again, then grunts in frustration. “Just leave me alone.”
I rub the back of my neck. “Okay, fine. Just let me drop you home.”
“Why do you even bother?”
I wait until he meets my gaze. “Because I care. You’re like a brother to me, Seth.” I let my walls down and lay myself bare. “I care.”
His nostrils flare as his lips press in a thin line. Just when I think he’s going to shut me down, he exhales, his eyes filling with tears.
“I still don’t want to talk to you,” he mutters as he releases the bike and shuffles around the truck. I sigh in relief when I hear the door open and shut a few seconds later. I dig out my keys from my pocket, bracing myself before joining Seth in the front seat.