Page 32 of Nightcrawler
I’d loved them with all my heart, and it was only after they were murdered that I’d beaten myself up for making myself scarce when they started up their playful concerts. I should have had time with them…much more time. They should have been around to watch me grow into a man. They should have lived so that I wouldn’t have been stuck in a group home in downtown L.A. for the remainder of my youth. They should have been there to hug me before I’d shipped off to Camp Pendelton for my MCRD—Marine Corps Recruit Depot—training; instead, it had been Cassidy Ryan who’d argued with me when I turned down a full-ride football scholarship to Notre Dame. He’d driven me down to San Diego a week after I turned eighteen and handed me off to a buddy he’d known from his days as a Navy SEAL.
While doing my MOS training after bootcamp, I’d taken all the necessary tests to be eligible to become a Recon Marine. The day I called Cassidy to tell him I’d been chosen as Recon, he’d driven down south to take me out for a celebratory dinner. The joy and pride on his face made me feel like my dad was with us in the room. I’d never felt more special in my life.
I heard a noise and turned, only to find Raven walking out into the yard. He held up a hand to shield the bright sunlight from his eyes and grinned widely the minute he saw me. I wanted him. Seeing him standing there looking refreshed and happy to see me, made my heart squeeze.
I’m in so much trouble.
I glanced down at my watch noting that almost two hours had passed since I’d come outside. As he walked over, I noticed how much better he looked. The dark circles were disappearing. “How you doing?” I asked as he came over to sit down in one of the other chairs.
“Better. Thank you. The pain is hardly a bother anymore. It’s kind of a miracle since I felt so lousy yesterday morning.”
“It must be the antibiotics. In another few days you should be well on your way to feeling healed.” I looked down at my watch again.
“We should go,” he said, “before traffic gets bad.”
“Yeah.” I stood and watched him get out of the chair, only a little slower than normal. We walked into the house only to be met with the scowling face of Ned who’d been watching us from the back slider.
“Hey, Ned. How’s Nana?” Raven asked.
“I just helped her to bed for her nap. She’s fine,” he said before giving me an up and down look. “I suppose you two have something important to do?”
I ignored him. He really hated me and somehow, knowing that he and Raven weren’t a thing and that I’d have him all to myself for the next few hours made me feel like I’d won the lottery.
“We’re going out,” Raven said, brushing past him. I followed.
“I just wanted to tell you I washed your clothes, Raven. They’re folded and sitting on your bed. I figured you’d want to get out of that.”
Raven stopped and we both turned around. He was pointing at my T-shirt with the ripped sleeves. Raven was still wearingit. Ned wore the most disgusted expression on his face. Raven walked over to him.
“I told you I don’t want you washing my clothes, Ned. You’re my nana’s nurse, not the maid.”
“Really? That’s not what you said the last time I washed your jockstraps. You seemed to like me touching them.”
I frowned. Maybe I’d gotten it all wrong and these two were—or at least had been—a couple.
“That’s out of line,” Raven said. His voice was full of gravel. “I told you exactly the opposite. I don’t want you going through my drawers, doing my laundry, or touching my clothes. Your sole responsibility in this house is to take care of my grandma, that’s it. If you can’t abide by my wishes, then I’ll call the agency and tell them to send someone else.”
Ned lifted his chin, giving a little sniff as if he was about to cry. “I was only trying to help but if you don’t need it, then I’ll do as you say and stick with taking care of Angelica.”
“Thank you.” When Raven turned back to me, he was flushed and still wore an angry expression. It dropped when his eyes met mine. “We should go, Miguel.”
“Yeah.” I had the strongest urge to turn around and tell Ned to go to hell for upsetting Raven, but I realized that was just silly. Still, the fact remained that even though I’d only gotten to know him, I had an almost insane desire to be Raven’s protector. I hoped after this, we’d stay friends but simply being around him was making me want him more and more. The kisses we’d shared had been hot as hell and I was positive he liked me as much as I liked him. Still, I wasn’t sure I was ready for a relationship. I’d never had one and I didn’t know the first thing about them.
We walked out into the street, and I followed Raven over to the driver’s door, intending on helping him into the cab if he needed it. He stopped and looked at me with a funny expression when I put my hand on the small of his back.
“You didn’t change your shirt. You should do that.”
He looked down at himself. “Does this one smell bad?”
“No, I just—I figured you’d want to change, that’s all.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay in this shirt. It’s super comfortable and besides, it smells like you.” His navy-blue eyes twinkled.
I smiled. What could I say to that?
“So, let’s go and before you ask, please don’t insist on driving, Miguel. I really am feeling better. In a couple of days, I’ll be all healed up.”
I dropped my hand from where it still rested on his back. “I was just…ah…just gonna see if you needed help getting in,” I said, knowing that I sounded a little nervous.