Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 78142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Some demons you never slay,” Tim says, his tone serious. “Some you just have to learn to live with.”
Chapter Fifteen
Diana
When I get back to my place, my phone finally dings.
I heave a sigh of relief when I see Dragon’s name.
At the diner.
At the diner?
That’s it?
Nothing about how he got off the roof? Nothing about being sorry he worried me?
Christ.
“You’re totally serious,” I say out loud.
I press on his name, dialing him.
“Yeah?” he says into my ear.
“It’s me, Dragon. Diana.”
“I know. I see your name on the caller ID.”
“For crying out loud,” I say. “Everyone was worried.”
“If you were that worried, you would’ve answered your phone when I told you I was stuck on the roof.”
“My phone was in my purse, which was in Teddy’s bedroom. It’s not like I carry it around at parties. I was trying to be social, not buried in my phone.”
“Most of the people there had their phones out.”
I ball my hands into fists. “For God’s sake, this isn’t about me, Dragon. It’s about you. You could’ve let me know you weren’t coming back to the party once you got off the roof. Teddy and I were looking for you.”
“You didn’t look that far. The diner’s about a block away from Teddy’s place.”
“That’s not even the point.”
“That’s exactly the point, Diana. You’re not my keeper.”
“You texted me saying you were stuck on the roof,” I say through gritted teeth. “That makes me your keeper. You were asking for help. I came to give you help.”
“Not quick enough, so I found another way.”
“Didn’t you think you should have let me know? Didn’t you realize I would eventually get your text and wonder if you were freezing your ass off up on the roof?”
He says nothing then.
Good. Maybe I knocked some sense into that hard head of his.
Until—
“I don’t have to tell you where I’m going.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, here we go again. It’s just common courtesy, Dragon. I came to let you off the roof, and you weren’t there. You didn’t end up back at the party, so it was common courtesy to let me know where you were so I wouldn’t worry.”
“You weren’t really worrying anyway.”
His words should be the truth. He’s a grown man, and I’m not his keeper. He’s right about that. So yeah, I shouldn’t have been worrying.
But I was.
I mean… If something happened to him, Jesse and Brianna would never forgive me.
“Look,” I say. “We’re going to have to come to some agreement. If we’re somewhere together, and you decide to leave, let me know. It’s common courtesy. That’s all I ask.”
He sighs. “I didn’t exactly decide to leave, Diana. I got locked up on the roof, and no one came to help me. So I helped myself. That’s a good thing.”
Yes, it’s a good thing. I’m tempted to yell at him some more, but he probably learned all that shit in rehab. That you have to help yourself.
I don’t want to fuck up his rehab or his therapy.
Maybe it was too hard for him to be around the booze and the pot tonight.
Maybe I need to be more understanding.
“Fine,” I say. “I’m heading back to Teddy’s. That’s where I’ll be if you need me.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you when you get home, then.”
“I guess so. Bye, Dragon.” This time I slide my phone into the pocket of my jeans. It’s on vibrate, so I should be able to feel it if he calls.
This shouldn’t drive me as crazy as it does. I shouldn’t feel responsible for him.
If I’m being honest with myself, I’m feeling something more than just responsibility because of Brianna and Jesse.
And I don’t like it.
I don’t like it one bit.
So I’m going back to the party.
I’m going to have a drink. Maybe even two drinks.
And if I find a nice warm body to cuddle up with for the night? All the better.
I haven’t had sex in nearly a year, and I think it’s time.
I have to pound hard on the door for Teddy to let me in. The party is raging strong—the number of people here has tripled—and the smell of pot is more pungent than ever.
I’m not a beer drinker, so I head to the kitchen and pour myself a glass of whatever red they’re pouring.
Then I shake my head.
It’s the Colorado Pike red blend, made by my brother-in-law’s family.
They won’t have any wine releases for the next few years since a fire destroyed their winery and vineyards a year ago.
The Pikes make table wines. Easily drinkable wines that don’t cost an arm and a leg, unlike my uncle Ryan and my brother Dale. They make top-of-the-line wines.
I take a sip.
It’s good.
I don’t know much about wine—my brother has tried to educate me, but I’m a lost cause because I’m just not really into alcohol—but this is quite delicious. It’s easy to drink. It tastes of red fruit with just a touch of vanilla.