Page 44 of The Way I Hate Him
It doesn’t take long to get into town and since By the Slice is one of the first restaurants I pass, I pull in just as Abel gets out of his car. I park next to him, and the first thing he says to me as I remove my helmet is, “Thank fuck, dude. If you weren’t here when I arrived, I was going to start eating without you.”
I tuck my helmet under my arm and move toward him, giving him a brief hug. Just a dude pat on the back since I haven’t seen him in a while. “Not eat anything today?” I ask.
“Just a protein bar. I haven’t had time to breathe. It’s been patient after patient.”
“Then let’s get you some food,” I say as I open the door for him.
By the Slice is easily the best pizza I’ve ever had. I know everyone says that about the pizza joints in their hometowns, but I’m not kidding. The crust is crisp on the bottom and the sides, the cheese is perfectly matched with the sauce, and they have the cooking time down to a science, eliminating any possibility of overbaking. Not to mention, the pepperoni they use is out of this world.
We walk up to the register to order, and the girl behind it does a double take when she sees me, but thankfully doesn’t fangirl. Instead, she pushes her hair behind her ear and straightens. “What can I get you?”
“Three slices of mushroom pizza,” Abel says, “with some honey for dipping and a water.”
She places a cup in front of Abel, and then she directs her attention to me. “And for you?”
“Three slices of pepperoni. No dips for me. And a water as well.”
“Not a problem.”
I reach for my wallet, but Abel stops me. “My treat, dude. I asked you to dinner.”
Even though I make more money than Abel, he’s still a pretty rich bastard. Since he’s sitting pretty, I allow him to pay.
We’re handed a number, and then we grab our waters. “Want to sit out on the deck?” he asks.
“Sure,” I answer. As we work our way through the restaurant, a few heads turn in our direction, but thankfully, no one bothers us. We head out to the back deck, and Abel finds a table in the corner, secluded from everyone else.
When we take a seat, he says, “You look old.”
“Wow.” I chuckle. “Way to fucking open the conversation.”
“You do. Like you’ve been pushing yourself too hard, and it’s catching up with you.”
“It is,” I say. “I’m fucking exhausted from the tour, and of course, my label now wants a new album, so I’ve been trying to work on that.”
“Don’t you want to take a break?”
“Yes, but I don’t have time.”
He lifts his water to his lips. “Haven’t I told you time and time again that you need breaks every once in a while to recharge?”
“You have,” I say. “Not sure I know how to do that.”
“Maybe just sit back and relax for a second. Hell, I saw you for what, a minute? And I knew you needed a break. Why can’t you look at yourself in the mirror and think the same thing?”
My brows lift in surprise. “Man, this conversation got deep real quick.”
He laughs. “Sorry, it’s the doctor in me. I assess and give my opinion.”
“Well, shut it off for a second.” I laugh. “Tell me, what’s been going on with you?”
“Nothing much,” Abel answers as he leans back in his chair. “You know what it’s like in a small town. The Peach Society argues about pretty much everything, the news spreads like wildfire, and the moment anyone tries to come into this town and make a ruckus, we all join forces and push them out.”
“So no girls in your life or anything like that?”
Abel raises his brow. “When have you ever cared about that?”
I shrug. “We’re getting older. I assumed that maybe you would settle down at some point.”
