Darkness in the World [SAMPLE]

Chapter 4 - Strategic

        Migs and I didn’t talk much after we left Sir Julius. We didn’t really need to; we were both upset about what happened, and both helpless to do anything about it.

        Almost as if on autopilot Migs drove me to our building and let me off at our drop-off area. As I said goodbye I met his eyes, and told him, “I’ll contact him.”

        And I knew he understood.

        It took three Facebook PMs, two Viber messages, one text message, and an actual overseas call (that wasn't picked up) before Richard got back to me.

        He replied via Viber and gave me a schedule for when we could talk on Skype. And he was about 15 minutes late getting online.

        "Hey," his mouth said on the screen, although it took a few seconds before his voice said the same thing.

        His hair was thicker, and there seemed to be intentional stubble on his chin. He'd been in California for less than six months, but I could tell that his cheeks had filled out a bit, and he seemed to have grown taller, too.

Part of me wanted to get to the point of our conversation right away—his dad, and the lawsuit against Sir Julius—but part of me had to stop for a moment with the sudden realization that I’d actually missed Richard.

        Seeing him again reminded me of this. Seeing him again also reminded me of how good he looked, even in a plain gray sweatshirt.

        “Hey,” I said, aware that I couldn’t help looking at his smile, remembering how close that smile had been to me not so long ago. “So how’s Daly City?”

        It took a few moments for him to hear me, and to react with his classic bunny-monster look. “Cold and foggy, mostly,” he said with an easy grin, “And nothing ever happens after 10pm—which I guess is one of the reasons dad sent me here.”

        “So you’re basically in a monastery?” I asked, smiling.

        “Exactly!” he said with emotion, "Except that I'm pretty sure monks don't need to work in a convenience store 16 hours a day."

        I nodded. "Yeah. And I'm sure monks don't get to talk to a lot of girls, too." 

        Even though I'd planned not to, I found that I could still pick up on Richard's mostly visual thoughts. The distance didn't seem to matter when it came to my ability; it didn't even require any conscious effort from me at all. The images of the girls—and some women as old as his mom—were just there, floating around in his head.

        Richard didn't look the least bit apologetic. "They keep needing help finding stuff!" he said, by way of explanation. His grin was adorable in a way that reminded me of a word I used to find in Grandma Marie’s paperbacks: “rakish.”

        Richard was being Richard, and although I knew there was always that small part of me that hoped we could pick up where we left off—with him telling me he loved me and asking me to wait for him—I knew that those good looks of his won’t keep him unnoticed, and his very nature of “being in the now” meant not remembering a girl he used to spend so much time with in the past.

        "So do you know what's happening with Sir Julius?" I asked him finally, knowing that our small talk was over.

        "U-uh," he said, after a few moments of waiting for my voice. "Why, is he here too? I thought he was just there with you guys in school."

        Richard's openly sincere expression made me realize he didn't know anything. Which made it much harder for me to say what I knew I had to say next.