These people gossip about everything. They run scenarios and play guessing games at the kitchen table like teen girls do at a damn slumber party at three in the morning.
I took walking in on a conversation that came to an abrupt end that there’s a reason for no one mentioning him. It isn’t that they aren’t talking about him. It’s that they’re talking about us.
I can only imagine what their speculations are. I don’t think Em, Misty, or Kincaid have said anything. They may talk among themselves, but I’ve never known them to talk about people to other teammates.
It says that as much as I’ve tried to act like nothing has changed, I’ve failed at it.
“You going for a ride?” Boomer asks when I stand from the table, his lips turned down in unexplained sadness.
I know he’s privileged to the information. I also know that he’d see it as a betrayal to tell me what everyone is saying, so I’d never ask, even after discovering that they’re more than likely talking about me.
“I’m going to my room,” I tell him.
I was planning on a ride, but I don’t want company. Now, I’ll have to be an asshole that hides in her room, so I don’t hurt his damn feelings.
“I need you to do me a favor,” Kincaid says the second he sees me.
“Sure,” I tell him.
“I need you to take Aro to his PT session.”
And this is what I get for agreeing before asking for details.
“Ugly isn’t available?” I ask, trying not to cringe.
“He’s not,” Kincaid says.
“Let me grab a quick shower,” I tell him before sliding past him down the hallway.
I don’t want him asking questions and asking him about Ugly was probably already too much.
I know we’re going to have to have that conversation eventually. I don’t see the man letting it go. I’m certain as far as he’s concerned the sex I had with Aro is a Cerberus issue rather than a personal one. I’ll strive my best to put all that shit behind me so it in no way affects my job.
My shower takes longer than normal because I’m trying to avoid taking him to his PT appointment, but I also know I don’t want the man to be late.
I dress quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a soft cotton t-shirt, pulling on socks and my riding boots last because I have no doubt I’ll need a solo ride after we return.
Unsurprisingly, Aro is waiting in the living room.
“Ready?” I ask as I approach.
“I thought Ugly was taking me.”
It feels like a setup, and I’m wondering if Kincaid isn’t forcing us together so we can work through our shit. It makes me question if he sees us avoiding each other as an issue that needs to be solved. Dr. Alverez will give her opinion on whether she thinks we’re ready to go back to work, but I also know that our boss is thorough enough to stop us if he has a different opinion on the matter.
“Nope,” I tell him. “You’re stuck with me today.”
My eyes sting when his eyes skate down the length of me, trying the entire time to convince myself that it means nothing. He’s sitting. I’m standing. The man isn’t checking me out at all.
I give him a weak smile as he stands, the erratic pounding in my chest completely unfamiliar to me.
He doesn’t say anything as he starts for the front door. A little nod of acceptance is all I get from the man.
“Kincaid asked me to come,” I clarify, not wanting him to think I volunteered or asked to be the one to take him.
He doesn’t say a word as we climb in the SUV, and I can’t help but think he’s imagining me trying to put myself in his path. Saying it more than once wouldn’t be helpful, however, so I clamp my lips closed tightly as we put on our seatbelts.
The silence surrounding us as we leave the parking lot grows thicker, but neither of us reach for the radio.
I want to commend him on the progress he’s made, but I know it will only come across as condescending. The man doesn’t take praise easily, especially when it’s something he feels he should already be able to do.
I want to get him to his appointment as quickly as possible because I’m finding it hard to breathe with him sitting beside me, but I don’t realize I’m speeding until I hear the siren behind me.
“Great,” Aro mutters, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.
I don’t apologize. Getting pulled over by a cop is no big deal. He can be annoyed with me all he wants. It could happen to anyone.
I pull my license from my wallet along with my insurance card as I wait for the police officer to climb out of his SUV.