Page 99 of Prickly Pair
I hadn’t exactly planned to lecture him like everyone else was, but I felt the need to. His signs of burnout were getting much worse day by day. “You haven't actually taken anything off your plate yet.”
“I know,” he mumbled.
“You want to know how I know that?”
“How?”
“Because you and I turned our phone location sharing on, and I only ever see that you're home at night. During the day you’re all over Whynot. The hotel, the art gallery, the community center, the park, the store, your mom’s. Everywhere—all over the map.”
“Hey,” he quipped.
I took another bite of ramen, shrugging my shoulders. “You can't call it stalking if it's mutual and consensual.”
He let out a husky laugh, closing his eyes. “I guess that is true. No, I haven't taken anything else off my plate yet. I'mworking on it. I just have too much to do. And now that I am dating again . . .”
“Somethinghasto give,” I warned him. “I know that everyone gives you hell about overworking yourself, but there are actual side effects to burnout. You're going to eventually hit a wall, and when that happens, everything else will fall apart. You won't be able to get out of bed. You won't be able to feed yourself. You won't be able to do anything for yourself. I don't want that for you. Mostly because I know it would drive you insane, but also because I care about you, Austin. As a friend, and as someone who . . . cares about you as more than just a friend.”
He raked his fingers through his dark hair. The circles under his eyes were more noticeable in this light. He was frazzled and tired, and I just wanted to see him rested and healthy.
“I’m working on it. I promise.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I’m just warning you. Also . . . I was going to talk to Evie about this, but next time there is something that concerns her safety, I want to be part of that conversation.”
Austin immediately nodded. “Yes. Okay. I wanted that too. I didn't know what I was walking into. I did, admittedly, not tell everyone about Phil. I never expected him to show up in town. That is on me, but I would like for you and even Nick to be there next time. Evie and I mentioned it to each other too, it felt wrong without both of you there. I’m sorry, though.”
“It’s okay. I see you're warming up to Nick,” I said lightly.
He made a face, but he didn't immediately protest. Maybe that was some progress. Evie and I were so close to taking bets on how long it would take for the two of them to get over their little rivalry. Eventually, it would happen. The tension between them was thicker than a brick of butter.
“Anyway,” he continued, skipping over that little point. “I agree with you, and I'm sorry if you felt left out. I don't thinkEvie knew exactly what to do. I also told her I wish that she would've texted me when it happened.”
I nodded. “She should've texted the three of us. I'm glad Mateo was there. I've heard the full story a couple of times now. Obviously, I trust him to protect her. But I just wish we would've known. I'll talk to her too.”
He nodded, then folded his arms over his chest. “It'll work out. I'm not really sure what he's doing in town. Or why he thought it was okay to question her. But if he approaches you . . .”
“I wish he fucking would. If he approaches me, I’ll give him a piece of my mind.”
“Ifhe approaches you,” Austin said pointedly, “you will also text us. Text all of us. It's weird that he's approaching anyone.”
“Is this you trying to boss me around, Whynot?”
“It's me trying to take care of people I care about,” he said. “And doing it in a way that isn't completely overbearing and overreactive.”
I wiggled a brow. “I’m proud of you.”
He groaned, but his body language completely relaxed. “I know I'm a mess sometimes.”
“Aren't we all? I certainly am today. Sometimes I have shifts that completely fuck me up, Austin. It's not like I share that with everyone, but if we're dating . . . You're going to see the worst of me.”
“If this is you at your worst, then you're doing just fine. But I'm always happy to be here for you—I could not do the job that you do. And I know that we're in a small town, but that doesn't mean there aren't bad emergencies that happen. Every now and then something tragic will occur, and it'll shake us all to our core.” His eyes darkened, his expression hollowing out. Given that he volunteered so often for the fire department, I knew he’d seen some bad situations firsthand.
“I know you've seen some bad shit,” I said.
He nodded slowly. He seemed to be thinking about something, and I wondered what it was.
“I have,” he said slowly. “That goes with volunteering as a firefighter and oftentimes being the first responder, depending on the staffing at the hospital. But I'm very glad, almost every day, that I was not on call when my dad passed. Mateo found him, and I know that it still haunts him, but I'm glad it wasn't me. I think that truly would've broken me.”
“It would break anyone,” I said softly. “I’ll never be used to death. Especially tragic ones. Sometimes when someone is older and they've lived a full life, you can see the relief when they're ready to go. It is almost beautiful, although sad. But then there are other deaths that just break your heart. I never knew your dad, but I imagine it was the same way with him. It was too early.”
