Page 31 of The Ring
Laurie lives a few blocks from Imperial in the most modest place out of all of us, even though he could easily afford a penthouse if he wanted to. His flat is small, with only two bedrooms that are roughly the same size as my closet, in a building without a doorman, but it’s cosy. I think he likes it that way—he’s not extravagant.
“My family is insane,” I exclaim.
“And you’re just finding this out?” he replies as he closes the door.
I let out a small laugh and sat up on the couch. “My grandmother thinks she can fix everything with a party.”
“Yeah, I already got the invite.” He points to an envelope on top of the coffee table in front of me.
“Fantastic, so there’s no way out of it now.”
“Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea.”
“Are you actually agreeing with my grandmother?” I say, amused. He once declared he’d never agree with her, but that was during a discussion they had about politics.
Laurie sits down beside me. “Well, just think about it—all of us under the same roof. Maybe it will help work things out.”
“Or it will make things worse,” I retort.
“Can they really get worse?”
I hope not.
“My mum’s been acting like it’s the end of the world because TJ and Nate,” he gets up from the couch, walking towards the kitchen, still talking, and I shift on the couch to watch him, “are mad at each other, and she’s been asking me tohelp out.” He doesn’t even need to raise his voice for me to hear him—his kitchen is practically part of the living room. Laurie returns and sits back beside me. “She thinks he listens to me. She doesn’t realise the only person TJ listens to is himself. And…” He looks at me and doesn’t finish the sentence. I don’t need him to. I know he was going to sayme. “Got any ideas how to fix it?”
I think for a second. I broke them, and I’d like nothing more than to fix them, but my mind is blank. “Let me think about it. I’m sure I can eventually come up with something.”
I noticed he returned, holding a cup of coffee. He must have been drinking it before I arrived, as the quick trip to the kitchen wasn’t nearly enough time to make a fresh one. I glance at it, then back to him with a coy smile. “Can I get a coffee?”
Laurie is the only one of the boys who can actually cook, but where he excels is in being a barista. He made the best beverages I’ve ever had. He even has a giant industrial machine and other equipment. I have one at home, but I have no idea how it works—he does, though.
He hands me his cup. “Take it. I’ll make myself another one.”
“Well…” I start.
“What?”
“If you’re already making another one, can you just keep this one and make me a cappuccino? Or a matcha, if you have that instead? I think better when I am hydrated.” I pout and give him my best puppy eyes.
He sighs but smiles. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” He takes the cup from my hands.
“Thank you,” I reply as he walks towards the kitchen. I lie back down on the couch and shout, “By the way, your couch is so comfortable!”
I hear him chuckle.
After a couple of minutes, I hear the front door open. It startles me for a second until I see TJ entering the flat. Like me, he also has a key. I quickly sit up, and as I do, he notices me. Our eyes lock, and it hits me like a punch how much I still crave him. When I spend time away from him, I can almost forget the pull he has on me, but when he’s just a few feet away, it’s impossible to ignore.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, as if this were his flat.
“I came to see Laurie.”
At that moment, Laurie comes out of the kitchen and hands me an iced matcha.
TJ turns to him. “Can you give us a moment to talk alone?”
Laurie looks at me for the answer, and I mutter, “It’s fine.”
I don’t want to talk to TJ, but we’re going to have to have this out eventually, and at least here it’s in private.
