Page 38 of Wire
“Rem, he’s here.” Beth’s voice drifts through the open door and I know that she’s standing just inside the hall, not wanting to leave her desk unwomanned.
“Is that my daddy?”
I nod, letting her know that he’s arrived. Jovie helps me pack up the mess we made, slings the backpack that is almost bigger than her on her back and runs back inside, through the hall to the main doors, her little voice thanking me drifting out behind her.
Wire
“Brother.”
Turning toward the door, I’m greeted by Rhodie frowning at me. Fuck, what happened now?
“What’s wrong?”
“You. How long have you been sitting there, Wire? Seven, eight hours? And how long before that? Are you sleeping?”
Rubbing my hands down my face, I think through his questions before looking at the clock icon on my screen. Shit! It’s nearing three in the afternoon and I’m meant to meet Retta in an hour.
“If you’re not answering, it’s because you know you’ve been sitting too fucking long and not sleeping. I need you to get out of here, brother.”
“Well, you’re in luck. I have a… thing in an hour. Chewy said she’d cover for me.”
“Thank fuck for that. I thought I’d have to threaten to shoot you to get you out of here. Counselor?”
“No, just a, a friend.”
Rhodie’s brows climb up toward his brows but he doesn’t say anything on the matter other than give me a chin lift.
“Hey hey baby!” Chewy’s voice rings out down the hall and within a matter of seconds she’s in Rhodie’s space, slapping his ass.
“How’s my man today?”
Not even waiting for an answer, she stands on her tiptoes, puckering her lips. She used to need guidance on her interactions with Rhodie. She’d hesitate with PDA, or she would go the other way and it’d be too much. Now she’s much more settled and even though she’s still unpredictable, she’s much more comfortable in her relationship. She is Rhodie’s and Rhodie is hers.
Watching the two of them together has my mind drifting to Retta. What will she be like? Will we be awkward and decide never to see each other again? Or will we be instantly comfortable with each other and fall into an easy pattern like these two in front of me?
“OK Wire, I’m here. You can leave now. You too, Rhodie.” Chewy smirks at both of us and waves to Rhodie as he knocks twice on the doorjamb before throwing her a wink.
“You sure you’ve got this?” Chewy rolls her eyes at me before giving me a bored look. “Fine. I’ve been running facial recognition on Snake, and no new hits.”
“Give it time, dude. And leave! Retta will be waiting.”
As per usual, when she says Retta’s name she says it all high pitched and super girly. She has a huge grin on her face and is waggling her brows up and down.
“What’s wrong with you?” I squint at her. She seems weirder than usual.
“Nothing. Can’t I be excited for my friends?” She tries to give me an innocent look, instead her eyes are huge, and she’s blinking like an owl.
“Friends?” I ask, raising my brow.
“Well, yeah, um suuuuure. You’re already my friend and it turns out people seem to like me, so I’m sure I’ll be friends with Retta too. Because I’m a good friend. Ask Ana.” She nods once before swinging her eyes to her screen and tapping away like her life depended on it.
If I was in a better head space and not sleep deprived, I would want to figure out what she’s up to. But then again, it’s probably just some weird Chewy thing where she’s already practiced an interaction with Retta in her mind. Or with Rhodie.
“Message me as soon as something comes through -”
“What about Retta?”
“- She’ll understand. Promise me Chewy,”