Later that night, I was guilted into bringing Reid a plate from dinner, since he was a no-show. Paige had done everything to insinuate his absence had everything to do with me. Even at nine at night, the heat had a way of making the short walk to his place unbearable. By the time I reached his door, I was foaming at the mouth and desperately needed some water. I was on my fourth knock when Reid answered the door with a towel wrapped around him and one of the plastic shopping bags from the store fastened around his cast. Steaming food in hand, I ignored the shock of the sight of him close to naked and pushed past to set the hot bowl on his counter.
More shock filtered through me as I took in the scarce furnishings: a worn mattress in the living room where a couch should be, an old box TV that had to be around ten years old, and a single chair on his open porch on the small balcony.
“I didn’t say you could come in.” Anger laced his voice as he moved to stand in front of me to obstruct my view. His chest was etched deep with muscle and covered in tattoos. I swallowed hard as I met his stare.
“Well, it was either you drop that towel and take this plate, and I see you naked or . . .”
He dropped the towel instantly, and my eyes followed its direction. He was wearing boxer briefs. I turned my back and started rummaging through his cabinet for a glass. They were empty, and I knew that a majority of his dishes were in the sink. To his credit, they were soaking in lukewarm and partially soapy water. “I just need something to drink, and I’ll leave.”
“Suit yourself.” He moved toward the hallway, and seconds later, I heard his shower start. On instinct, I began to wash his dishes as I glanced around his kitchen. It was completely void of life and color. It reminded me of a cheap motel room—just the bare necessities—and that was a generous assessment. The trash was loosely gathered on the side of the small faux granite island across from the sink, but I could see a large part of it was scattered, if not purposefully, across the floor. He’d obviously had a hard time getting it together and had some sort of fit when it hadn’t gone his way. I suppressed a grin as I pulled a dustpan and brush from his empty pantry, other than the box of Trix and Ramen noodles that sat on the otherwise bare plastic shelf.
I glanced at the counter next to a cheap coffee maker and saw a final notice for Reid Crowne. He had a seventy-five-dollar late fee attached to his rent. And they were threatening to evict him over it. Seventy-five dollars? Assholes.
I grabbed a roll of Clorox wipes from underneath his sink and scrubbed down the counters before I pulled the trash out to his porch so I could take it as I left. I was walking around his kitchen with wipes on my Converse, due to the fact he had no mop, when he emerged freshly showered, his face stone as he watched me.
“What the hell are you doing?” His hair was matted as he rounded the counter in only his jeans, which hung snugly at his hips. I saw a small amount of soap gathered behind his ear as he tossed his damp towel on the island between us. I grabbed it and gave him a small smile. “Come here.”
“Uh, no. You were leaving.”
“Jesus.” I moved past him to find his bathroom, and as I suspected, his bedroom was completely empty. There was nothing there but scattered remains, an old plastic hanger, and a small, empty box for an old phone. It was as if Reid was squatting in someone else’s apartment. In his bathroom, which was surprisingly clean, I grabbed his shampoo and marched back into the kitchen. He was staring at the dishes in the draining rack I’d set them in.
“How long have you been in that cast?”
He turned to me with something close to annoyance. “Almost a month.”
I walked over to the sink and turned it on before I tested the temperature with my finger. “Well—” I motioned with my head “—come on.”
Understanding my intention, his shoulders stiffened and he shook his head. “I’m managing.”
I moved toward him and cupped a handful of shampoo residue from his hair and showed it to him. He blew out a frustrated, mint-scented breath. “Go home, little sister.”
“Truce. Okay? Five-minute truce.”
Reid eyed me carefully and then walked out to the porch to grab the plastic chair. It wasn’t the right height, but we made do. Covered in sweat from cleaning, I leaned over him and tilted his head back before I ran my fingers through his soap-filled hair.
I pursed my lips. “I guess the good hand gave up on you already?”
“I was distracted by the noise in my kitchen.” I looked down at him as I pressed the nozzle to his temple and began to re-soak his hair. I poured a little shampoo—the cheap shit with a dollar store tag on it—in my hand and added it to the residue before digging my nails into his scalp. He let out an involuntary grunt at the feeling, and I glanced down and found his eyes staring up at me. Vulnerability and shame were what I read in them before they flicked away. I made quick work of running the suds through his silky strands. He smelled of the half-worn Irish Spring that sat in the stall of his shower and fresh shampoo when I cut off the water and pushed the towel to his chest. He rose from the chair, catching the water that slid down his torso. This time I looked away, but not before I heard his soft, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Glancing at the living room, I noted a picture next to his mattress. It was of Reid and who I assumed was the ex-girlfriend Paige had told me about. That solitary photo in the sea of emptiness in which he dwelled spoke volumes to me, and I couldn’t help but look back at Reid, who was silently watching me. “All your secrets are safe with me,” I promised. He slowly nodded as I walked out the door and dragged the trash down the stairs.
Two days later, I woke up another year older and to an angry knock on the front door. I pulled myself from the couch that had eaten my left leg and limped to the door while the feeling worked its way back in. Fully expecting to see Lexi, I saw a pissed off Reid instead. His jaw twitched as he looked me over. The sun had wrecked him in the short walk from his apartment, and his face dripped with evidence, but his eyes didn’t waver, even as fresh perspiration dripped from his lashes. He was mad, and it looked damned good on him. He gripped the hand that was massaging my dead leg and turned it palm up before he shoved some cash in it.
“I was just trying to help,” I pleaded.
He leveled me with his livid stare. “I’m not the one sleeping on my sister’s couch. Get your own life.”
“Touché, and the truce is officially over!”
“Fine by me,” he huffed as he took the stone path to the lawn between apartment buildings.
“Urrrrgh.” I slammed the door and then winced, afraid I might wake Neil, and then looked at the clock. I’d slept until noon. On my birthday. The door sounded again, and I opened it to find my smiling best friend on the other side. Lexi was tall and slim, but had just enough curves to be effectively appealing. Her short brown hair was shredded around her ears, and she had recently dyed the tips a deep red. Lex had almond eyes, a small forehead, high cheekbones, and huge lips. She looked a bit exotic, though I was the one with the mixed genes.
“Finally,” I said, giving her a quick hug before hauling ass to my duffle. “Lexi, I have to get out of here, now.” I pulled a stream of T-shirts out of my bag before deciding on my shadow print of Kurt Cobain wearing Monroe glasses, a black leather mini skirt, and my sparkling black Chucks with red laces. Lexi was quick on my heels as she looked around the apartment. “We could move into this complex. Seems nice.”
“Hell no, I don’t like the neighbors.”
“Just a suggestion. Hey, you’re twenty!” She perked up. “What’s eating at you?”
I turned with a sigh as she sat on my sister’s bed while I stalled in the bathroom doorway, ready for a shower to wash away the image of Reid’s face.
“I need this so bad. I need music, Lexi. I need to be with you, here. Let’s hit the thrift store first, get some dinner, and find a show, any show.”
“Okay, I’m your girl.”
“I know you are,” I said on a sigh as I quickly rushed to her and gave her another hug.
“That bad?”
“It’s not fun. I feel like I’m in limbo here. Let me shower.”
Lexi nodded as I shut the door. Not a minute later, I heard the rumble.
“Hey, did you know your sister has a huge vibrator in her panty drawer?”
It was my first laugh of the day. I smiled. I was twenty.