20
Gigi
“This is not happening again,” Beau huffed out as he held open the iron gate for me. It was more words than he’d said to me in total for the last week. But I guess he wasn’t exactly speaking directly to me right now.
He was dressed up in a black, button down and dark, charcoal gray pants.
Looking every bit the villain.
“They called you in, too?” I asked unnecessarily before I turned to go left.
“Oh, for Christ sakes, you can ride with me,” he said, his voice more than irritated.
I spun around, but kept walking backward. “Nah, I’ll just see you there.” Then I turned and kept on my way.
“Martin! Get your ass in my Jeep. The sooner we get there, the sooner this is over,” he yelled sharply from behind me.
“No, but thanks for the kind offer,” I shouted back over my shoulder. Honestly, the way he was speaking to me made my eyes start to get watery. I didn’t want him to see me acting like a big baby. Even though he was acting like an even bigger one.
So, I continued hustling toward the bus stop.
I could take a cab or use a rideshare app. The bus was not only more economical, it also stopped at a convenient place, about a block from Marcel and Angelique’s house.
And trust me, right now I could use the walk.
By the time I arrived at the bus stop, I felt my courage return. I no longer felt like bawling—not too much, anyway. It felt like every time I was in Beau’s space, I needed a day to recover from our interaction.
A lady with mismatched clothing and a wire cart was already waiting there. “Hi,” I said with a smile. “Nice evening.”
She gazed over at me and nodded. “It is. My, don’t you look fancy tonight! Where are you off to? A ball?”
I laughed quickly and said, “Thank you. No, just to my godparents’ house for supper.”
“Bet it’s going to be one heck of a supper.”
My eyes squinted at her. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Hmm, you got some kinda drama brewing?”
I gazed off to the side for a second. “It seems like I usually do these days.”
“Uh, does it have anything to do with an angry young man in a black Jeep?”
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. “Are you psychic?”
“Not really. But there’s an angry young man in a black Jeep staring at you,” she said, nodding toward the road.
I jerked my head and looked to where she was staring. “Oh boy,” I said, staring right back at Beau’s angry gaze.
“Looks like that one’s full of drama,” my new friend muttered to me.
“You could say that.”
Beau’s head fell back against his headrest, then he said, “Get your ass in here, Martin. I’m serious!”
“No, thanks. I’m having a good time where I am!”
Just then, a loud honking sound came from down the street. “A bus is coming, you need to move out of the way,” I said, swinging my arm for him to drive forward.