Page 97 of Shift Change
“...the article itself could be worse. But I think the pictures are gonna gain some traction, Ethan.”
I take a deep breath, trying not to let the panic ramp up in my mind.
“Thanks, Jack. I'm looking at it now.”
“So, uh, I need some direction from you on this.”
I'm confused, my brain working at a fraction of its normal power.
“Direction?”
“Yeah, kid. I, uh, don't know which way you want to go with this.”
“What do you mean, which way? We're friends.The Neutral Zoneis doing what they can to get clicks, I get that. But there's nothing to it.”
The silence, in the room and on the phone, is long and deafening. Jamie walks over to stare out the window, biting his lower lip.
“Okay. I can take it that direction. You should know there will probably be more attention on you for a while. Twitter's already picked this up. If there were, say, anyone at your house right now, they should be careful leaving.”
I hear what he's not saying, just like he knew what I was leaving out earlier. I clear my throat, not wanting to confirm anything.
“I'm, uh, sure I'll be fine.”
“Okay. Good friends, mentor, yada yada. I'll work something up.”
“Thanks, Jack.”
As I lookup after hanging up with Jack, I realize Jamie's not at the window anymore. I follow the sounds of drawers opening and closing, finally finding him in the bedroom.
“I, uh, realized I left some stuff at my house that I need to pack for tomorrow. So I'm just gonna go back there for the night.”
I'm taken aback by the suggestion. He doesn't even have his car here.
“It's not even four. We can still grab your stuff and get back in time for an early bedtime. I'll just cancel on Alexei, okay?”
He takes a deep breath.
“Ethan, you saw that article. You can't take me home and then bring me back here. Someone will notice.”
Shit. He's right.
“Okay, but then you can't just walk out of here with a duffel bag, either. Jack said we'd need to be careful around the apartment.”
“You told him I was here?”
“No. But he, uh, seemed to know.”
He blows out a heavy breath and sits on the couch, head in his hands. I try to think of what to say, how to fix this.
And maybe more importantly, how to get him to stay here tonight. It’s been just over a month since that first night in Calgary, but I’ve grown used to the feel of his body next to mine, his warmthsoothing me to sleep. It hasn’t been every night…but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want it to be.
Yeah, and that’s why the entire world is talking about why you’re staring at him like that.
A sharp knock on the door interrupts my thoughts; Jamie’s eyes dart to the door.
“It’s probably just Alexei. I’ll get it.”
Sure enough, the Russian is standing in the hallway, his enormous arms full of takeout bags. I’m overwhelmed by the smell of garlic.
