CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 66: REFUGE

I let Birdie into my apartment. She had nothing but her purse with her.

"Thank you so much for letting me come over," she said.

"Not a problem," I said. "So tell me what happened."

She sighed. "Well, Rockie and I were supposed to have a date night tonight. We had it all planned out, but he ended up staying out with his friends all night drinking. He never gave me a call to tell me where he was and he ignored my messages. When he came home and told me where he had been, I was pretty mad."

"Understandably," I said.

"I accused him of cheating on me because, why else would he be out without telling me when he knew we were supposed to be on a date? Rockie didn't like that I was questioning his loyalty and... that's when he hit me."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Birdie," I said. "You deserve better than that. It wouldn't surprise me if Rockie was cheating on you. That's probably why he got so mad when you were onto him. I think it's kinda weird he didn't invite me to hang out. He said he was with his friends, right?"

Birdie nodded.

"Well, I'm his friend and I knew nothing about it."

"I guess I could talk to Jordan, Cam, and Duke to see if they know anything," she said. "I just can't believe this. Why would he treat me this way? I've always been good to him."

"I know you have, but like I said before, Rockie isn't a good guy. It's just not in his nature."

"But he's been good to me for years."

"Anyone can fake it, but not forever."

"I feel so foolish."

"It's not your fault. He's really good at being fake."

"But how did you know he was fake? There must have been signs."

"I've worked with him. He didn't hide his true self as much when he was working."

"Then why are you his friend?"

"He's my boss."

"Are you telling me you're a suck-up? Crypto the suck-up... Doesn't sound so good."

"I'm not a suck-up. I just... want his trust."

"So you can move up on the ladder, right?"

"No..."

"Then why?"

I couldn't tell her the truth that I wanted to destroy the mafia from within. I couldn't put her life or mine on the line like that.

"I, uh... I wanted to be closer to you," I said. It was partially true so not a complete lie.

"Really?" she asked.

I nodded.

"That's so sweet..."

"It's weird, isn't it?" I asked.

"It's not weird. It's just that... I never knew that."

"Really? I thought it was kinda obvious."

"It was hard to tell since you hardly ever talk about your feelings. It's like there's a wall there. It makes you seem distant."

"I never noticed that. I guess it's hard for me to put the feelings into words."

"I want to know how you feel about me," Birdie said.

"Well... um... You're very kind..."

"That's not a feeling."

"I feel like you're kind."

"Crypto."

"Okay, okay. Fine. Just let me think for a minute how to put it into words."

"You're overthinking this. Just tell me how you feel about me... About us."

I wanted to tell her how much I was in love with her, but I was worried she wouldn't feel the same way and I didn't want to ruin our relationship.

My phone rang. I was so relieved to have a way out that I picked it up without looking at the caller id.

"Crypto, have you heard from Birdie?" It was Rockie.

"No, Rockie, I haven't heard from her," I told him.

Birdie's ears perked up.

"Well if you do, can you let me know?" he asked.

"Sure, but is she in danger or something? I could send out a search party if you want."

"No search parties. It's not a big deal. We just had a little fight and she ran off. I just wanted to apologize to her."

"Well, I'll let you know if I hear from her," I said.

"Thanks." He hung up.

"He's looking for me, isn't he," Birdie asked.

"Yeah, but you're safe here. Don't worry."

"Maybe now he'll understand what it's like to not know where his significant other is," she said.

"Would you like to stay the night? You could have my bed and I'll take the couch."

"That's very kind of you, but I can't take your bed. I should sleep on the couch if I'm gonna stay."

"I don't mind at all. I would be happier if you were more comfortable."

"Happier? That's a feeling word."

I chuckled. "Yes. It means that much to me."

"Alright then. I'll take your offer since it'll make you happy."