She fiddles with the hem of her sweater. “Do you think…?” She swallows and looks away. “Like, when a guy might like you but is put off by your style…”
“Are we talking about Dylan?”
She flinches. “No, it was a general question, okay?”
Sure. “So you’re going to change your style? In case he’s keeping back because he’d rather see you in second-hand cut-offs instead of what you usually wear? Like, that’s deep, huh? A profound affection, going as deep as the layer of your clothes. Yeah, that’s the kind of guy I’d go for, of course.”
“Stop it, you…” Tessa snickers. “That’s awful. You just made me sound horribly shallow, you know that? Dylan, too.”
I lift a brow. “Isn’t that what you were asking?”
“No! What I meant was… What if a guy is put off by my life style? All the money, you know? Wouldn’t they feel uncomfortable if they didn’t have as much?”
Okay, this is a more serious and complicated question. Because to say love conquers all and doesn’t care for social class distinctions and financial matters is a lie. We all talk of the kinds of strongest love that rises above everything, but sometimes… Sometimes the beginning can be rocky, and I don’t think Tessa is wrong to wonder. Everything about her screams money—from her fancy car to her fancy clothes and gadgets. Hell, her watch must cost more than my car.
“I see,” I eventually say as I enter the parking lot of the bar. “So you decided to pretend you’re poor?”
She winces. “No, just cool.”
I park and nudge her with my elbow. “You’re always cool, girl.”
I finally get a real smile out of her, before she opens her door and jumps out. “Come on, let’s go meet the guys!”
“We’re early,” I remind her.
“Then we’ll start drinking without them. You need some liquid courage.”
Can’t argue with that. I really think I do, but I don’t have a fake ID like her, so I just shrug.
What am I going to say to Asher? Hey, sorry I never tried to see what was happening to you. Sorry my behavior made you go out in the cold and almost die. Sorry I hated you because your brother left, and I thought you were hiding his location from me. Because you reminded me of him.
Jesus. Guilt gnaws at my stomach as we enter the bar. Yeah, some liquid courage is definitely in order.
We make our way to a table at the back. Few customers people the room—the crowd will surely thicken later.
“How’s Jax? Did you go to see him last weekend?”
“Yeah.” It feels good not to be lying about him anymore. “He’s a handful.” But the memory makes me laugh. “He’s in a dinosaur phase.”
“Dinosaur phase?” Tessa’s wide eyes make me laugh harder. “Yeah, and I don’t mean just that he likes dinosaurs. He says he’s Tyrannosaurus Rex and struts about…” I bring my hands to my chest and crook them into claws, then bare my teeth, “like this.”
Tessa giggles. “Oh my God, that’s so freaking cute! I think Tyler would be so happy if he knew.”
I sober. “You think?”
She nods. “He has this sad aura around him. An air of desolation. Like he’s the last person on Earth. Maybe he needs a family.”
“You think he’d be a good dad?” I roll my eyes. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you.”
“Why not? And why wouldn’t he be? Is he mean? Is he violent?”
“No.” The Tyler I knew had a heart of gold. Now it seems it’s made of lead. “And if he’s not violent? Does that make him good for Jax?”
She shrugs. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t be.”
Because he’s marked and because there’s a pain in his eyes that scares me… Not to forget, he ran away. Would he do it again? Would he love Jax like I do?
“I don’t know.” I rub my hands over my face. “I really don’t know what to do.”