I Just Wanted to be Edgy Too

Chapter Ninety-Six

Ellie

Van called four times in the last hour. I'd let every single one of his calls go to voicemail, fingers twitching nervously as I drummed my nails against the table. My lower lip was raw from my teeth gnawing it, my throat was scratchy and dry, and no amount of swallowing seemed to be helping it. If anything, it made it worse.

When the phone rang for the fifth time and vibrated across the table, it was Slim who spoke up first, clearing his throat, and I wondered if he felt the same way I did.

"You can't ignore him forever."

"I know." I whispered. Still unsure how much I could trust Slim, but he was all I had, and he knew the most about the situation. I eyed him warily.

When he told me Barns was in Llanddulas, the panic that ripped through me, caused me to trip over my own feet, sending me falling toward the pavement. Slim caught me, walked me to my car, and drove me home. He never said a word, never interrupted my thoughts, never pressed me for forgiveness after his sole apology in the bar. In fact, he never even brought it back up. Instead, he made me a cup of tea and sat across from me at the table, starting at the grain running lengthwise through the top of it. We'd been here for at least an hour, the only sound interrupting our silence, was the buzzing of my phone every time Van called it.

I raised the tea to my lips, it was nearly cold by now, but I didn't want to waste it. Secretly, I hoped the liquid would alleviate the soreness in my throat.

"How did you know where I lived?" The words startled me. I hadn't even connected the dots of things yet.

Slim's shoulders rose and fell, and his eyes met mine once before turning their gaze back to the grains of the tabletop.

"I knew where you lived. I checked. I'd been...checking." His cheeks rosied with embarrassment.

I nodded, understanding his confession. "Does...does Barns know?"

Slim didn't move or speak and I took his silence as confirmation enough. I inhaled a sharp breath. "That complicates things." I whispered before taking another sip of tea.

The thought that Barns could be outside right now looking in, crept up my spine and I glanced to the windows behind me, eyeing my reflection in the door to the patio. I stood quickly, rattling the knob to make sure it was locked. I looked beyond my reflection, into the darkness of the yard, pausing to adjust my eyesight to the shadows by the trees. I saw nothing. If he was out there, he was concealed well.

"He's ringing you again." Slim spoke softly. "Maybe you just ought to tell him-"

"No." My words were soaked in ice. Telling Van was not an option, especially after what Larry said to me. The last thing I needed to do, was to bring up something that could potentially cause more friction between Van and the band. Not during the release of an album or when he was about to go on tour. He needed to focus. I could handle this. I'd handled it for years without him, it'd be alright.

"What if something is wrong?" Slim's thoughts weren't new to me. I'd thought the same thing already, especially after the first few calls. Van only repeatedly called when something was irritating him, or he had something he needed to tell me that couldn't wait. But they'd been promoting the record all week, debuting more new songs and having dinner with the label. Sometimes, Van incessantly called after one too many drinks. Maybe that was his case tonight.

"Do you think he's still here? In Llanddulas?"

Slim's scratched at the table. "I don't know, El. He said...he said he wanted you back. He'd do anything to get you back. I figured by now he would have at least tried..."