Total pages in book: 193
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Or power.
Or running water.
The only reason I’m even on the video call is because the girl I occasionally screw let me borrow her laptop and internet while she hangs out at her boyfriend’s place.
Khalil’s win is the reason for the celebration unfolding in his hotel suite, and even though I miss him more than I’ll ever let on because Khalil will only feel guilty for leaving, I’m proud and happy for him. Khalil was living his dream—even if his dream took him far away from me.
Thorin too, except the Corps was no dream come true. It was an escape. But it also took him the farthest away, to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
I’d gone from being one-third of a pack to a lone wolf. Six Forks just wasn’t the same without them, and even though Khalil’s dad had given me a job at his construction company, it was still getting harder to find a reason to leave bed every morning.
I was happy for my best friends. Truly.
But some days, I lost the battle with the tiny seed of resentment over being left behind. It’s been two years since we graduated from high school, and they’ve already figured out what the fuck they want out of life. Who does that?
It’s unfair for me to feel this way. I know that. But knowing doesn’t help it go away.
Thorin, Khalil, and I talk for an hour before there’s a knock on Thor’s door. He gets up to answer it, and when he returns, he isn’t alone. Only half of the room is lit by a lamp, so I catch the silhouette of a woman as she shyly sits on the edge of his bed. She’s short in stature with dark hair pulled back in a bun, a cute button nose, pouty pink lips, and a sergeant rank emblazoned on the front of her uniform. She clearly has a few years on Thorin too, appearing in her late twenties.
“One sec,” he tells her before turning away to face the laptop. Thorin leans down so that he’s eye level with the camera, blocking our view of the nervous girl.
“My boy,” Khalil covertly praises with a grin.
Thorin winks. “Gotta go.”
“Remember your safe words!”
“And wear a condom!” I shout just before his screen goes black.
Khalil and I are silent for several seconds before we erupt in a roar that lasts until I have a stitch in my side. For someone who acts like he’s no good with charming women, Thorin sure works fast when he wants to. His Nordic features and those muscles he flaunts make him look like he’s stepped straight out of a Viking romance. He’s also mean as fuck, which…I guess some girls like too.
Once Khalil and I quiet, I notice a second too late that he’s watching me with an assessing gaze that wasn’t there before Thorin hung up. “So what’s up, man? Everything cool over there? You good?”
“Yeah.” My gaze shifts to the side as I rub the back of my neck. “Everything’s…the same,” I finish lamely because I can’t even think of a lie worth telling when I spend my days on autopilot.
Khalil is quiet for a moment before he eyes me hesitantly, and I know what he’s going to say before he even speaks. “You know my offer still stands. I’ve got a few months before my title fight. Say the word and I’ll send you a plane ticket.”
I laugh him off like I always do to keep from feeling like a total fucking loser.
My mom died when I was nine, and I barely remember her. My memories of my time with her are fragmented, inconsistent, and covered in rain clouds. There are pieces that whisper terror and others that promise love. But all those pieces have done is left me confused and torn—like I could split right in half—until I taught myself not to think about her at all. After she died, I was bounced around foster homes—when I wasn’t in juvie—so I never stuck around in one place long enough for any of the countless faceless people who sheltered me to encourage me toward more. I can’t blame it all on the broken system though. I stopped caring long before they did.
“You’re just saying that because you feel guilty about leaving, and you fucking shouldn’t,” I tell Khalil. “I’m a grown man. Besides…” I force a smile as I wink at the screen. “We can’t all be destined for greatness, and I have no interest in being your baggage.” When Khalil says nothing and the silence stretches on, I realize all I’ve probably done is give him more reason to worry about me. “Look, I’ll find my own thing,” I promise softly. “You and Thorin did. I’m just a little slower to get off the stoop. That’s all.”
“Yeah, I hear you, man,” he says unconvincingly before switching the subject. “How’s work?”