Angel

Chapter 8

"Sooooo what did you and my brother do the other night on your date?" Vix asked as I hesitantly slid into the booth next to Will, who was reading a different book from before. I looked at him as I answered.

"We saw a movie." I replied.

"That's it? Just the movie? Come on give me something juicy, like did you guys kiss? Joey didn't tell me anything." She whined. Out of respect for Will's feelings, I just shrugged.

"We saw a movie." Vix huffed and crossed her arms over chest in a pout.

"You and Joey are both no fun. Speak of the devil." Will looked at me out the corner of his eye.

"Hey Nik, can I get you anything?" Joey asked with a dimpled smile as he came up to the table. I smiled back at him.

"Just a water please."

"You got it." Once his back was turned, my smile dropped. Even though we had settled things the other day when I had gotten back from picking up Evan, there was still some kind of barrier between me and Joey. Will's questions haunted me every time I thought about me and Joey together, and the lie I told him in response. Joey brought me my water a moment later, grabbing my hand to squeeze. His hand lingered in mine as he walked over to another table. When my hand dropped back onto the table, I somehow felt worse than I had earlier.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Vix asked.

"No. Evan's begging my dad to take us to a restaurant in the next town, but I think I'm going to hang back at the house and maybe catch up on some reading."

"Are you going to call Joey over at all?" Vix wiggled her eyes and Will rudely snorted. I glared at him before answering Vix.

"No. He's been over constantly since Evan arrived."

"Constantly?" I nodded.

"Evan keeps asking him to play cars, and he doesn't refuse unless he has work."

"Wow. That's so unlike my brother." I shrugged.

"So you're really just going to read all night?" I nodded and took a sip of water. "Ugh I love you Nik, but you can be so boring sometimes."

Cooper walked in and dropped a kiss on the top of Vix's head. Her response was a dopey grin and I took that as my cue to leave. I drank the glass of water and pulled out a couple of dollars, setting them beside the empty glass. As I stood up, Will did too, slipping his book in his back pocket.

"Hey where are you going?" Vix whined.

"I dunno about that one, but the sight of you two so cozy is starting to gross me out." Will replied. I should have guessed that his meltdown wouldn't change anything.

"I'm going on a walk and then going home. It's stuffy in here."

"Oh alright."

Will and I made our way out of the diner. I made sure to wave goodbye to Joey. We walked shoulder to shoulder, almost touching, in silence. True to my word, I went on a walk through the town, and passed the old well. Will walked over to the fire pit and took a seat on one of the log benches that circled it. He made a weak gesture for me to join him.

"Your little brother came to visit then?" He asked as I sat down on a log across from him. He spoke softly, but loud enough that I'd be able to hear his words.

"Yeah. He's really happy here."

"You want him to stay." I had almost forgotten that I had poured my heart out to him after knowing him less than twenty-four hours. I still didn't really know him.