Jesus, he looked like some kind of romance novel anti-hero about to steal a damsel’s virtue in that bandana. Was this what hot flashes felt like? I rolled my eyes, but took the mask from him and put in on anyway. I wasn’t going to touch the baby comment with a ten-foot pole.
As I led the guys to my Jeep, I watched as a couple neighbors loaded up their own vehicles. Most people had already left—the smoke was so bad—but there had been a few holdouts like me who’d waited until the last possible moment. My eyes burned as I unlocked and opened up the hatch.
“Where are you goin’?” Draco asked me as he carefully loaded up the trunk area. “Your parents’ house?”
“Either there or with Charles,” I replied through my mask, pushing my purse higher on my shoulder.
I’d been in his presence more times than I could count since he’d gotten out. It was impossible to stay away when our families were so close—but I still hadn’t found a way to be comfortable around him. It was my curse. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fit him into a little box. I couldn’t force myself to see him as less than he was to me—even if I’d never admit it.
“The grandparents and Charlie evacuated,” Curt said, closing trunk. “They went over to Aunt Callie’s.”
“Fuck,” I mumbled under my breath.
I loved my parents so much, but I didn’t want to be stuck at their house. The moment I got there, it would be like I was sixteen all over again, having to keep them updated on every phone call I had and every place I planned to go. I wouldn’t even be able to run to get a milkshake without their input.
“You know that cop?” Draco asked me, jerking his head ever so slightly to the left. “The one who was at your door?”
“No,” I replied quickly, coughing as I inhaled. Fuck. The air was so nasty.
“You sure?” Draco asked.
I nodded.
“Huh.” He said calmly. He clearly didn’t believe me. “Why don’t I drive you over to your pop’s? Or Callie’s, if that’s what you want.”
“I can drive myself,” I replied, rolling my eyes.
“Him or me,” Curt shot back, his eyes shifting over Draco’s shoulder.
“You’re adorable,” I said dryly. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“You wanna get pulled over on your way home?” Curt asked, his voice soft. “Out here where everyone has evacuated and there ain’t any cars on the road?”
I opened my mouth to argue and then snapped it shut again. That scenario didn’t sound pleasant.
“I know cops,” Draco said to me, resting his hand at the base of my back. “And that one doesn’t stink like a regular cop. That one stinks like a cop that got bullied in high school and got himself a badge so he could even the score.”
I stood so still that I must’ve looked like a statue. I wanted to reply, to say something downplaying the asshole cop—but I couldn’t. Every molecule in my body was focused on the point of contact between Draco’s long fingers and my back. Just as I started to panic that I must look like a complete nutjob, his hand slid away and I felt like I could breathe again.
“Run over to our place with us real quick,” Curt said, starting toward their building. “We need to grab some sentimental shit in case the place goes up in flames.”
“I really hope it doesn’t,” I replied, giving in and following behind him. I might be stubborn, but I wasn’t stupid.
“Me, too,” Draco said with a chuckle. “Any other place that cost this much would be a total heap. We got lucky as hell.”
“Wasn’t luck,” Curtis said distractedly as he led us up the stairs. “Kara researched for like a month before we moved in. She found this place.”
“Is that right?” Draco asked, glancing at me.
“Can’t make any decisions without overthinking them,” I said, shrugging.
“Truth,” Curt said as he opened their front door. “Come on, let’s get our shit and get the fuck out of here.”
I didn’t let my surprise show as I stepped inside the clean apartment, even though it barely resembled the apartment Curt had been living in alone. The carpet was freshly vacuumed, there weren’t any food wrappers littering the couch, and most importantly, I couldn’t detect any strange smells from behind my mask. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how long it had been since I’d been to their apartment. Draco had been out for months.
“We’ll be right back,” Draco said as he strode down the hallway. “Don’t answer the door if someone comes knocking.”
I nodded and stood in the middle of the room where they’d left me. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t been in their apartment since Draco moved in. There wasn’t anything special about it—it was the mirror image of me and Charlie’s, but for some reason, it seemed incredibly foreign. Even when Curt had lived alone, I’d never wanted to be there.