Indestructible: Reinforced

Chapter 74

Chapter Seventy-Four

     October 2012

     Present Day

     I knocked on the door and waited. My heart was pounding within my chest and my hands were cold and sweaty. I was beyond nervous. But I needed to explain certain things to Drake, and he needed to help me understand other things. I needed him right now.

     The door swung open and he stood there wearing very flattering sweatpants and an unzipped hoodie over a bare chest. His hair was tousled and he had his reading glasses on. The effect of the chiseled chest coupled with the black-framed glasses was jaw-dropping and it made my breath catch in my chest. Damn, he was perfect. And suddenly I didn’t even know why I was here.

     He smirked at me. “I thought you would react this way.” He stepped aside and I walked in. “And now I’m nostalgic.”

     “Drake, I need to talk to you about something.” I sighed and cupped my forehead as my gaze roamed his body from head to toe. “And I’m going to need you to look less edible so I can get it off my chest.” I looked into his eyes and blushed when I saw the smugness on his face. “If it weren’t important I wouldn’t have asked you.”

     “Fine.” He sighed and zipped up his hoodie. It didn’t take away even an ounce of his overwhelming attractiveness, mainly because the image of every inch of his perfection was forever-etched in my brain. And right now, it was the only thing I could see.

     I shook my head and focused on anything else around us. The house was quiet, which meant his flat mates weren’t there. “Where’s everyone?”

     “Out.” He shrugged. “It’s a Saturday, Avy. College students don’t stay in on Saturdays.”

     “You do.”

     He smiled. “I had a feeling you’d be coming over.”

     I rolled my eyes at him and headed to the kitchen. I needed a Diet Coke, and he kept his fridge stocked with them for when I came over. I grabbed one for me and curled my fingers around a Budweiser for him, but then I changed my mind and grabbed him a Coke as well. I wasn’t going to advocate him drinking alcohol.

     He chuckled when I handed him his Coke and shook his head. “I’d only do this for you, Aves.”

     “Good boy.” I sat down across from him. I needed the table to be between us, I couldn’t be tempted then. “Now, I need you to be honest with me, Drake, okay? I really need to talk to you about this.”

     All humor left his eyes and seriousness settled in. He popped open his Coke and took a sip. “Okay, what do you want to talk about?”

     “Remember when I first started hanging out with Jake and all those people?” I asked and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His expression hardened but he nodded. “I changed, right?”

     “Yeah.” He nodded again. “You did. But it wasn’t as bad as you thought.”

     “But I became worse, right?” I searched his face. “Especially when I started getting high and getting into fights. I got into a lot of fights, Drake. And I hung out with a really bad crowd.”

     “I remember, Avy.” He frowned. “And I remember hating it and wishing I could change it. But you were so far gone, and I felt distant from you.”

     “Am I still that person?” I asked and felt a lump form in my throat. My eyes stung and I took a deep breath. It was still too early for me to cry. “Am I still like that?”