Lina 46
Denny was eyeing us over his sandwich. He still had a bemused and wondering expression in his eyes. For some reason, the way he was looking at me made me nervous. At first, I thought it was because Telor and I were still curled around each other on the couch. But that wasn’t it. This was an ‘I know something you don’t know’ look. It was slightly mocking.
“Catalina, sweetheart?” Telor said, shaking my shoulder a little.
“What was that?” I asked, jerking myself back to the present. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“I said we should go to your place so Jilsey and Gavin don’t worry. It’s almost eight. You texted them last night and told them we would be back because of my accident,” he said.
Oh, God, it was almost eight p.m. This day just seemed to pass me by. We dressed quickly—and separately because Telor didn’t trust us to keep our hands to ourselves—then headed for my place. The walk was short enough that I didn’t panic over Telor walking, and Tori coming back to finish what she’d started. My house smelled like apple pie awesomeness. Jilsey and Gavin were in the kitchen laughing up a storm. Jilsey saw us, well more like she saw Telor, and rushed over to fix his boo-boos.
“Telor! What did the doctor say?” she screamed. Jerking him into the light and looking at his face. “The cuts don’t look too bad, but the bruises are pretty nasty looking.”
“The bruises are the worst of it. I took a curb too fast and my bike slid out from under me. My bike is fine, I’ll be fine,” Telor told Jilsey as she continued to inspect his marked face.
“I’ll feel better if you let me take a look at them. Come on,” she said, pulling him up the stairs to our bathroom. He sent me a help me look that I ignored. Laughing, I sat down next to Gavin and took a big bite of his pie before I remembered that we still weren’t exactly on speaking terms.
“There is a whole pie, and you had to eat my piece?” he asked, pushing his plate toward me.
“I had a busy day. I think I’m entitled to pie. And yours was already cut, so lay off,” I said, waving my fork at him to drive home my point and to cover the shock that not only was he speaking to me, but he was talking to me like nothing was wrong.
“You’re really happy, aren’t you?” he asked, a sad smile playing on his lips that he tried hard to make look genuine. “I can tell. You are like Lina two point-oh; you’re still you, just a better version of you.”
“Yeah, I’m really happy. Telor makes me really happy.” I finished off his pie and cut another piece and offered it to him. Our version of a white flag.
“I want to hate this guy. I want to dislike him for ruining any chance that we would have had together,” Gavin said. “But seeing the way you are with him makes it almost impossible,” he said. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You know you can always ask me anything, Gavin. You don’t need my permission.” I rolled my eyes and smiled.
“Did I have a chance? If there was no Telor, did I have a chance with you?” he asked softly.
It surprised me. Gavin was rarely one to ask questions like that. He was more of a what’s done is done person. Not a what if person. I thought back to before I met Telor. It felt like lifetimes ago.
“I wanted to give it a chance, but I don’t think we would have worked out,” I said honestly. Despite the bene-friend relationship that we had going on for so long, I don’t think we would have lasted as a couple. “I think we would have both realized that we work better as friends.”
“I really do love you,” he said. “And I’m not going to get in the way of you and Telor. But I think you’re wrong, I think we would have been great together. And if things don’t work out between you two, don’t forget to remember me.”
“Gavin,” I said, unsure of how to respond to that without sounding like a bitch, “don’t count on that. You should get out there, find someone who you can love and loves you back.”
“I need a little time before I can do that.”
Telor and Jilsey walked back into the room, and Gavin immediately got up. He gave me a quick kiss on the top of the head and turned to Telor, holding his hand out to him, which Telor took and shook, not looking the least bit surprised.
“You take good care of her. Do you hear me?” he said, shaking Telor’s hand a little more firmly and longer than necessary. Gavin leaned in and whispered something in Telor’s ear.
“That won’t be an issue, Detective Hollow,” he said with a grin, not the least bit upset by Gavin’s thinly-veiled threat.
Gavin nodded and left the room. I watched worriedly after him. He was being a good best friend, but I could see what it cost him to do it. And I loved him that much more for it.
Determined not to spoil Tuesday night pie, I joined Telor and Jilsey, laughing and joking. I looked at how well Telor blended with my family, and it warmed me. We would make this work. We would get through this.