Discovering April (23 page)

“I don’t want you to see me like this.” He turns so I can’t see his face.

“You saw me puke—twice. It’s only fair.”

I get a slight grin before he begins convulsing over the bowl again. I continue to run my fingers along his back as he empties his stomach two more times. Wiping his mouth on a towel, he then collapses his head into my lap, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“I love you,” he whispers.

I respond by running my fingers through his short brown hair.

Not getting the response he wants, he continues, “I meant what I said last night.”

“I know, Bear… I know.”

Bacon is the scent that eventually drives us downstairs. After how much Jared vomited, I can’t even imagine he’ll ever eat again. But surprisingly, I’m starving! We reach the kitchen and Mack is cooking up a storm. Stacey is already digging into some crispy bacon by the time Jared and I wander in. Zach and Eric are nowhere to be seen.

“Good morning, Love Birds!” Stacey calls from the table with a huge smile on her face.

“Look who decided to join us today, Stace!” Mack points to us with his spatula.

“I see. So glad they could peel themselves off of each other for long enough to eat!”

“Hey, I had to peel Jare off the toilet seat—I deserve a slice of bacon!” I say, placing my hand on my hips. “Now, what does a hung over lady gotta do to get some food around here?!”

They all smirk, but it’s Jared who moves to my side and kisses my forehead. He then grabs a plate and piles some food on it. I take a seat beside Stacey as we watch him walk over to Mack at his stove and steal some bacon.

“So, where are the others?”

“Eric is also having a moment with Mr. Toilet, and Zach is still sleeping,” Stacey informs me.

“Yea, Zachy will probably be sleeping this off for the next two days!” Mack jokes with that deep chuckle of his. “That kid can’t hold a lick of liquor, being he’s like 90 pounds soaking wet.”

Jared has a smirk on his face as he takes the seat beside me.

“What’s the deal with Zach, anyway?” I ask. “He doesn’t look like … one of you guys.”

“He’s Eric’s cousin. His mom wants him to work for a year and pay for his own college tuition,” Stacey says.

“He’s our mascot!” Mack calls out, backing away from the sizzling bacon.

I giggle at the sight of an overly large Mack jumping away from bacon grease before I realize I don’t ever want to leave these guys. “What time is it?” I ask, munching on some toast.

“2pm.”

“Crap! I have to be at work in an hour!”

“We’re at least 45 minutes away from Angelica,” Mack announces with his spatula in the air.

I turn to Jared. “How fast can that little Jeep of yours go?”

“Let’s find out…” He smirks.

I JUMP OUT OF Jared’s car with 2 minutes to spare, and I walk around to the driver’s side to kiss him on the cheek.

“Want to pick me up after work?”

“I’ll be here. Wouldn’t want to leave my little lady without a ride.”

I turn to hide the grin on my face and head inside. The shop is quiet, only a few people scattered about the tables. I wave to Jack before walking in the kitchen to throw my apron on. I’m adjusting my hair when I come back through the flapping doors and prepare for the night.

Jack looks me up and down, giving me a fatherly look. “Long night?” His eyebrows raise as he notices I’m wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

“Yea, you know, just living the college life!” I joke, grabbing a towel and wiping down the coffee splattered counter.

“I have to say, April, I’m happy for you.”

“Aw, Jack! Don’t go all soft on me now!”

To be honest, I’m surprised he even noticed. Jack has been a little preoccupied himself these past couple weeks. One can see it all over his face: there are bags under his eyes, his skin has grown taut, and his sandy curls are always matted slightly.

Before he can respond, a customer comes up and Jack turns to take his order. I’m wiping around the sink when Jack grabs the handle of the espresso machine and pulls it downward, maybe with a little too much force, because the metal knob breaks completely off. He looks at it in the palm of his hand for a second.

“Whoa, Hulk here just broke the darned machine. Would you like a brewed coffee instead sir?” I come to his rescue.

Jack continues to look down at his hands at the crunched metal before wandering aimlessly towards his office in the back. I knew something weird was going on with Jack, but things seem to be getting a little stranger by the day. I could swear that the air in the shop has changed slightly. It’s colder, an unnatural cold. Sometimes, I get these strange feelings, hear odd noises, and one time I swear I saw a shadow move. It’s hard to explain, but I definitely don’t like to be in the shop alone. I would tell Jack, but he’s changed, as well. Plus, sometimes I think he might have something to do with it.

My nights at the coffee house seem to fly by now that I have Jared on my mind. My customers notice something is different about me. Just the other day, Bob the little old man that runs the laundromat around the block told me I have the face of a woman in love, that I have a glow about me. Now, I don’t know about all of that, but Bob got a free coffee!

JACK IS STILL IN the back by the time I’ve closed up and cleaned everything down. I peek outside a few times. I never see Jared pull up past the windows. I get that weird feeling again when I finally see a shadow cross by the window. Apprehensively, I approach the front door when the figure begins to take shape: tall, lean— it’s just Jared! I breathe out a sigh of relief and unlock the door, only to lock up behind me.

“You’re late!” I tease.

“I was getting you something,” he tells me, still leaning his long frame against the front window again. He stands with one hand behind his back and the other in his front pocket.

“Oh?” I’ll admit I’m intrigued. Pulling his arm around from his back, I see a black leather jacket hooked onto his outstretched index finger.

“A leather jacket?” I shriek in excitement.

He nods, making a twirling motion with his finger, indicating for me to turn around. I let him help me into the jacket. By the time I shrug it onto my shoulders, I’m bopping up and down with excitement. The jacket is all black on the outside, and the inside is lined with tan fleece. The sleeves have a little crisscross pattern along the length of them. Pushing my hair up from inside the jacket, I notice the stark contrast of my platinum hair with hot pink ends against the black of my new outfit.

“It fits!” He sounds pleased.

“With this leather jacket and my pink hair, I look pretty bad ass, don’t I?” I say, placing my hands to pop my collar like I feel bad asses do.

One of Jared’s eyebrows quirks upward, calling my bluff.

“Oh, shut up!” I playfully push his shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go home.” Hopping onto his bike, he holds his hand out to help me on.

Not like I need it anymore; riding on the bike with him has become like a hobby of mine. I find myself regretting the day we’ll have to pack it up for the winter. Maybe this camping trip will be our last hurrah.

We take off roaring down the Avenue, and I notice Jared makes a turn down another street, taking the long way home. I swear it’s like he can read my mind sometimes.

The wind whips around my hair and against my bare face. I don’t mind; I find myself memorizing how it feels for the long winter when I will crave this so badly. I pull Jared closer to me, linking my arms around his waist. It’s no longer for warmth; nothing is getting through this new jacket.

He pulls into his driveway and helps me off the bike again before gliding it up the driveway to his garage. I’m about halfway up my porch steps when I hear him call out from the garage. “Apes?!”

“Yea,” I call, running the rest of the way and leaning over the railing of the porch.

“Go get ready. I’m taking you out tonight.”

“Why, is it a special occasion?”

He smirks. “Every day with you is a special occasion.”

“YOU READY?” Jared turns to ask me from the front of the bike.

I glance over to the floor-length windows of the lounge he convinced me to go to tonight. He’s a very thorough convincer. A blur of golden hair dissects my line of vision and my eyes lock on Stacey, waving at me excitedly. Maybe a little too excitedly; she must have gotten started without us. On her arm is the reason I needed some convincing: Eric. He’s standing there in a collared shirt and jeans and he almost looks human and not like my nemesis.

I sigh quietly. “Yea,” I say before swinging off the bike.

“Hey, gurl!” Stacey shrieks, pulling me into a hug. Her breath still reeks of sugary mix and her silky hair smells of flowery shampoo.

“What has gotten into you?”

“A case of watermelon Smirnoff.” It’s Eric’s voice as he pulls away from a one-armed embrace with Jared.

Jared goes to kiss Stacey on the cheek when Eric’s eyes flick to me with an ice-cold glare before turning his back on me. Eric is already talking with the bouncer by the time Jared has returned to my side. “Your friend Eric is a friendly one, huh?”

Jared smirks. Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, he leans in closer to my ear. “Give Eric a chance. He’s been through a lot.”

Eric? Been through a lot? I wouldn’t think anything could get to this guy. His presence alone speaks volumes. I debate telling Jared about the things Eric has said to me, but something in his tone makes me want to settle it myself. It’s the adoration behind his voice, the softness. It’s a voice he holds only for the ones he cares about. Plus, Eric hasn’t said anything really bad—it was obvious he’s trying to look out for his friend. But why? What is it he thinks I’m going to do? Maybe Eric is just bullying me to see if I stick up for myself. I refuse to let him win. I didn’t go through hell to finally find a good guy, just to have him taken away from me because of his jealous friend. The bouncer checks our IDs and ushers us inside the dimly lit club. The leather couches that line the wall all set up for bottle service. The black floors and black walls mimic the ambiance: anonymity.

Stacey grabs my hand and drags me to the bar, pushing aside a group of guys to hop up and lean over it. The handsome young bartender comes right over, more than happy to help the gorgeous blonde whose tight leather pants are catching all the guys’ attention. That is, until Eric and Jared come walking up to our side. We get a few more glances, but none of them seem to outwardly gawk anymore. Stacey hands her credit card to the hottie behind the bar and starts handing us all a shot of something honey colored.

“To love!” she screams, throwing the shot back like a pro.

I glance over to Jared and he winks at me before throwing his back. I follow suit. The shot stings a little as it coats my throat, but I pretend not to gag. Again, I refuse to show weakness around Eric after the fiasco at the amusement park.

“I’m going to find the bathroom.” Jared kisses me on the head before slipping away towards the back, leaving me alone with a twirling Stacey and a stone-faced Eric.

Stacey is in her own little world; I doubt she even notices as she bops up and down to the beat, staring down at the drink in her hands. But I defiantly decide to lean against the bar next to Eric, propping my elbows up, mimicking his position.