When we reach the house, Smithy is already at the door waiting for us.
“Good afternoon, Miss Octavia. Master Saint, it is wonderful to see you again.” I beam at him as I jump out of the car. East struts around to my side, grabbing my bags before I get a chance to.
“Smithy, my man! How are you doing?” East hugs Smithy, who looks almost relieved to see my old friend.
“Fine, thank you, Master Saint. Are you joining us for dinner this evening?” Smithy looks so hopeful that when East glances back at me, I just shrug. Who am I to say no? East has been nothing but my white knight since I got back. I have zero issues with him. If he wants to stay for dinner, it doesn’t bother me at all. We head inside, and East finally gives my bags back to me.
“Sounds good to me, Smithy! Now… let’s talk about cake.” I laugh as Smithy leads East to the kitchen as I head to the laundry to dump my gym stuff. I wait for the light to flicker on, trying not to shudder at the thought of entering the small dark room.
You’d think life on a tour bus would’ve forced me to get over my issues with small dark spaces, but even the small bunk couldn’t cure me. After being trapped in my closet for almost a whole day when I was younger, the fear manifested, and I’ve never really gotten over it. Dad felt so bad when he finally found me. He was at work when there was a smaller earthquake and my dresser fell in front of the doors after I hid.
It was the first time I experienced an earthquake, and they still make me almost shit my pants. Though not quite as much as small dark spaces. I shudder just thinking about it. No thank you.
I empty my gym clothes into the hamper and then head upstairs to change. It doesn’t take me too long. I don’t ever really obsess about how I look, so leggings and a hoodie with messy hair is absolutely my go-to. By the time I get back downstairs, Smithy already has a milkshake for me on the counter, and East is halfway through the one in his hand. “Making yourself at home, I see.”
He grins over at me before taking another sip of his milkshake. “If Smithy makes you these every day, I might never leave.”
I climb onto a stool at the counter, and somehow he still towers over me. What the fuck are they feeding people here, super grow Wheaties? “I mean, you’re only next door. It’s not like you’re exactly far away, is it?”
“This is very true. Smithy, one of these days I’ll convince you to jump the fence and come live with us.” Smithy scoffs at his words and shakes his head.
“Very unlikely, Master Saint. Then who would look out for Miss Octavia?” He smiles warmly at me as I take a sip of my milkshake. “But, as long as you treat her well, you will always find a milkshake here for you. Now then, if you two want to go get comfortable, I’ll start dinner.”
“What are we eating?” I ask as I jump from my seat.
“My main man Smithy is making homemade pizza,” East says with a grin as Smithy shoos us from the kitchen, and I blow the old man a kiss. My love for pizza knows no bounds. I could literally eat it every day and not get tired of it.
I head into the lounge with East and drop onto one one of the sofas. “Movie?”
He sits on the sofa with me and makes himself comfortable. “Sounds good to me. Anything in mind?”
“There’s that new one out about fighting a war in the future…” I offer with a small shrug. Why does this feel awkward all of a sudden?
“Action movie. Girl after my own heart. Glad to see that much hasn’t changed.” His smile is sad, and I get the feeling that I’m missing something. I have no fucking clue what, though, so I put the movie on and settle in.
The uncomfortable feeling leaves once we get into the movie. I’d almost forgotten how alike East and I can be. While Lincoln was always my savior in the shadows, the dark protector, East was the sunshine on a cloudy day. It’s funny to me that East is the older of the two when Lincoln has always acted like the eldest.
Smithy joins us once he brings the pizzas in, and it warms my heart to have him back in my life so much. I missed him when I was gone, even if I did have Mac and Dad. There’s no one quite like Smithy.
Time passes in a blur as we eat and watch the movie, and once it’s over, Smithy makes his excuses to disappear. Not that I blame him, he has his own life to be getting on with, rather than spending all of his time with me. I hope he does anyway. The thought that he’s putting his life on pause for me doesn’t exactly fill me with joy.
“I should probably head back before the world implodes,” East says once Smithy has left. He stands and his t-shirt rides up, giving me a glimpse of his abs and that freaking ‘V’ making me want to groan. Goddamn. “Do you need a ride in the morning?”
“No, I should be good. Indi will be back to playing chauffeur tomorrow. She just had to go rescue her mom tonight, but thank you.” I stand and stretch out as I yawn. Apparently, I’m more tired than I thought.
I walk him out, and as he stoops to slide his shoes back on, he picks up the black envelope on the mail table. “What’s this?”
“Just some stupid charity gala invite. I’m surprised you guys didn’t get one too.” I shrug and lean on the wall as he drops it back on the table and turns his attention back to his shoes.
“You going?” he asks, eyebrows raised as he slips the shoes on and leans down to tie them.
“What do you think?” My sarcasm is on fire, and he just starts laughing.
“Fair point. Octavia Royal and charity galas don’t go hand in hand. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
I roll my eyes at him as I usher him out of the door. “You’ll see me in Gym, unless you plan on quitting anytime soon. You having that job still seems so weird to me.”
A look of guilt flashes across his face, and he runs his hand through his hair. Weird. “Nope, no quitting till Lincoln can escape.”