Ride Home To Me

Chapter 38

"So Harry tells me you're from Arizona."

"Yeah."

"Bet you don't got a problem with heat then," I chuckle. The guy in front of me laughs and nods.

"You could say it gets a bit warm out there in the summer."

I grin. "Well everything is checking out for me. I trust Harry's judgement, but you sure you don't mind me being a girl and all?"

"Long as you don't mind rooming with a guy. I know the kinda shit that happens so I get it if it makes you uncomfortable. I can always look for somewhere else."

"Honestly, you just being aware of that stuff is a good bare minimum." I wave him off. "Besides, with work and all I only ever really use that back room to sleep and eat, so as long as you keep your shit clean I don't care at all."

I reach a hand out and meet the twinkling blue eyes that stare back at me. "Good to meet you, Spilner."

He takes my hand and shakes it grinning. "You can just call me Brian."

I've never actually roomed with a guy before, but after living in the same house as Vince and Dom I find that bunking in Harry's back room with Brian isn't all that bad. We spend lots of time together working at the counter and I even manage to teach him a thing or two when he comes back to help in the actual shop. After just a couple weeks of hanging and living with him we're already getting pretty close.

In a way it's comforting, to feel like I have someone close to me that I can rely on again. But a part of me still forces me to hold back, tells me it's not real, and that I can't get attached. After all, didn't I tell Hector that I'm good on my own? I may have hit it off with this new roommate of mine, but I still don't need to rely on nobody but myself. My chest aches whenever I think about it, whenever I think about her, but I can be buddies with this guy and still stay true to that.

"Order up!" I hear someone call from the front door of Harry's garage. I straighten up and smile when I see Brian holding up a plastic bag with a couple of sandwiches.

"Ugh, finally," I say, reaching for the bag. "Hey! That ain't right, it's not my fault I'm short!"

I jump and grab at the bag while Brian laughs and holds it over his head. Eventually I fake a reach and just land a solid punch on his side, causing him to double over just long enough for me to snatch the bag out of his hand.

"Was that necessary?" he groans theatrically.

"Yeah, you were keeping me from my lunch. Stop being overdramatic. I didn't even hit you that hard," I smirk.

"You and your food, man."

"Yeah," I chuckle. "I'm getting worse than V."

The words have tumbled out of my mouth before I realize they were even in my mind.

"Who's V?"

"Oh, uh-" My cheeks flush. "Just this guy that I-I used to know."

"Ex troubles?"

I almost spit out my drink. "Oh God no," I laugh. "I don't date guys. He was just... an old friend."

Brian stares at me for a moment with those icy blue eyes. Then he just takes a sip of his drink and shrugs. "Cool. So you gonna apologize for clocking me or what?"

I burst out laughing. "You fucking wish, Arizona."

•-•-•-•-•

The uneasy feeling in my gut isn't going away so I just do my best to ignore it. Today's the day of this supposedly big job that'll make me a lot of money and finally give me an out from LA. My stomach twists when a name flashes across my phone screen. I pick up and chuckle nervously.