“Good to hear,” Faith said with a nod.
The apartment door opened wide, and Ethan walked back into the hallway. Behind him there were two others—the huge one from before with his arms crossed over his chest, and a tall, lanky woman with very short black hair. The woman started at me intensely, and it made me feel like she could see right into my skull. The big guy looked me up and down but didn’t say a word to me. He only spoke to Ethan.
“Yo
u sure, E?”
“I’m sure, CeeCee—thanks.”
CeeCee. I remembered the name. He was the track runner who had helped Ethan when he was hurt.
“You know it.”
Ethan exhibited an apprehensive smile as he glanced first at me and then at Faith.
“You both okay?” he asked. “Andi isn’t talking to me now.”
“I think we’re going to be,” Faith told him. She turned on her heel and walked back into the apartment. She waved her hand in the air. “Andi will be fine. You know how protective she is.”
The door shut, and Ethan glanced at me nervously.
“Was Andi mean to you?”
“Nothing I didn’t deserve.”
“And Faith?”
“They all care about you a lot.”
“They’re my friends,” he said with a shrug. “We all take care of each other.”
I snorted, thinking about how often my friends had taken care of me. I recalled one weekend about a year ago. Presley laughed her ass off at me when I drank so much I couldn’t walk. She did call me a cab, at least. I wondered if I had ever had a friend who would make someone eat a designer purse for hurting me. I didn’t think so. My friends would never defile name brand consumer products.
“Are you okay?” Ethan’s hand reached out and stroked my cheek, wiping away the escaped tear.
“I think so,” I said. “Are you?”
“Well, half of me is, at least.” Ethan’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “The other half is still a little worried.”
“What can I do to convince both halves I mean it?” I asked. “How can I show you I want to be with you, and whatever people say…well, that’s what they’ll say.”
“I don’t really know,” Ethan said. “I can’t even get the two halves of me to talk to each other. I have no idea how I’ll get them both to talk to you.”
He laughed, but I couldn’t join him. It wasn’t horribly genuine, anyway. We stepped outside and walked to the curb, awaiting the taxi.
“I’ll try if you will.” Ethan placed his hand—the left, I noticed—under my chin and tilted my head up to look at him.
“I think that would be great,” I said. “And thank you.”
“For what?”
“Giving me the chance I don’t deserve.”
I watched Ethan lean down slowly and then closed my eyes as his lips pressed softly but earnestly against mine.
Chapter 20—Acceptance
“There was this guy who was fighting with his wife, and he actually attacked her with his left hand while his right hand was trying to defend her from himself.”