“Right,” Grace said. “Whatever you need to do. I like it. I like everything you’re doing.”
“Me too,” I said.
I took my coffee and rushed back to my bedroom.
The letter rested comfortably on my bed.
I sat on my bed, bending my left leg, hugging it.
I sipped the coffee and stared down at the letter.
… I know there are words you haven’t spoken. Your voice isn’t clear. Not the way you want. Or deserve. Nobody can hear you. But I promise you, Delilah, I can hear you. I always hear you. These paths… I hate them. I hate that I wrote of paths above, because I want no paths. I want just us. Just the open freedom…
I put my hand to the letter.
It was so foolish that this meant something to me.
Yet there I was, a complete sucker for a love letter.
But there was so much more to it.
The story behind the love letter. And how it ended up left in an alley. Was it thrown there on purpose? Was it lost by accident? And why that spot? Those were the questions worth asking and try to figure out. That’s where the truth was hidden.
I had the day off from work.
I could type something up for Bel in no time. Appease her to appease Grace to appease myself.
That was for later.
Now… I needed to go back to where I found the letter.
Chapter 8
Your Wake-Up Call
NOW
(Josh)
I felt a hand slap my face.
My eyes popped open and Toby was staring at me.
“Toby?” I asked. “Little man? What are you doing here?”
“The real question is, what are you doing here?”
I rolled to my back and saw Rae standing over me. She had a coffee mug in her hand. I blinked a few times to try and wake the hell up.
Above Rae was the black and white drop ceiling that only existed in her and Aaron’s basement.
Which meant…
“Ah, damn,” I whispered. “Are you going to pour coffee on me now?”
“It’s tempting,” Rae said. “But then I’d have to walk back upstairs to get more.”
“So that’s not for me?”
“Nope.”
“No breakfast in bed?”
“You’re not in a bed, Josh. You’re on my couch in the basement.”
I looked around and nodded. “Yeah, I see that. So, no breakfast on the couch?”
“Not a chance in hell,” she said.
I put my right foot to the floor, and I forced myself to sit up. My head instantly throbbed, which I expected after all the brandy. That shit was like motor oil. It was not meant to be consumed the way I had done.
Sitting up, I looked back at Rae again.
“Not even a good morning kiss?” I asked her.
She snorted. “Your bromance is upstairs. Go kiss him.”
I laughed. “Thanks.”
I looked down at Toby as he just stood there, staring at his hungover Uncle Josh.
I grabbed him and sat him on my lap. I moved his messy hair back from his forehead and looked for a mark or bump from him hitting his head against mine.
There was none.
“He’s fine,” Rae said.
“Good.”
She walked around the couch and sat down next to me and sighed. “I don’t get you sometimes.”
“Nobody does, Rae,” I said. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“Do I look like I’m beating myself up here?” she asked.
I eyed her up and down. Her blue pajama shirt went with the checkered pattern of her pajama pants.
“I guess not,” I said.
“You were really worried about Toby’s head,” she said.
“Of course I was. We were standing at a painting and I got him to say red. Then he started saying red flower. He turned his head to point to the painting and smacked his head off mine. I felt horrible, Rae. I mean it.”
Rae touched my shoulder. “I know. That’s the hardest part about knowing you, Josh.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“That underneath it all, you really do care.”
“Is this you telling me you like me?”
“Hardly,” she said. “I tolerate you. For Aaron’s sake.”
I leaned in and bumped shoulders with her. “Nah. You can play that game all you want. I know how you really feel.”
Rae pushed from the couch and stood up. “Hey, Toby, let’s go upstairs. Give Uncle Josh a chance to wake up a little more.”
I kissed the top of Toby’s head and messed with his hair. Rae put her hand out and Toby ran to his mother.
“Thanks for the wake-up call,” I called to Rae. I puckered and blew her a kiss.
She just shook her head.
I was pretty sure she really did hate me. Which I understood. But she saw me for me. I respected her for that.
As Rae climbed the basement steps, she yelled obviously loud, “Aaron! It’s awake and hungover!”
I laughed.
But it was a short-lived laugh.
The night before rested heavily inside my head.
I never thought I would see her again.
Back then, her avoiding me was for her own good.
And now… it was basically the exact same thing.
Aaron met me with a smile and some coffee. He pointed to the silver flask on the counter. “Not sure anything is left in that thing.”
“Screw that thing,” I said.
“Looks expensive.”
“It’s not even mine. I stole it.”
“Typical,” Aaron said. “Is that why you came here? Afraid the police were after you?”
“Over a flask? I doubt it. It belongs to someone I know.”
Aaron inched back and leaned against the counter. “So last night went well from what I heard. I talked to Sasha and-”
“Why the hell were you talking to her?” I asked.
“You know my company takes care of the entire building,” he said. “Half the block, actually. I’ve gotten to know everyone who owns property there.”
“Well, aren’t you just something special,” I said. “What’s next, bro? A career in politics?”
Aaron snorted. “Not a fucking chance. I’m good with what I do. But enough about me. What happened to you?”
“With what?”
“Come on, man. I’m your best friend. Shit went sideways last night. And fast.”
“After your girl tore me apart…”
Aaron swallowed hard. “That’s not fair.”
“What isn’t?” I asked. “I was showing the kid some stuff and he bumped his head.”
“Thought you and Rae worked that out?”
“When she woke up ready to dump hot coffee on me?”
“Trust me, she’d love to hurt you, Josh, but she’d never waste coffee. Not on you.”
“I feel even more welcome,” I said.
“That’s the thing… you’re sort of not. You showed up last night around one in the morning.”
“Shit. Did I wake Toby?”