Page 65 of Don't Look Down
Me: Yes. That. All of that.
Sky’s the Limit: Scrambled ok?
Me: Yep. Thank you!
Sky’s the Limit:??
Sky’s the Limit: See you soon. Drive safe.
Yes, dear.The domesticity of our exchange strikes me right in the chest. Twisting and churning. Is this how it feels to have someone waiting for you at home?
The bus has finally cleared enough for me to stand up. When I do, I see Leigh is watching me like the creeper he is from across the aisle. He’s been doing it a lot more lately. Inspecting me more than normal, usually catching me off guard. I sigh before following him off the bus. “What, Leigh?”
He shrugs a little, before he answers. “That Sky?”
This time, I sigh harder. “Yes, Leigh.”
“Are you going to see him?”
Meeting his eyes unflinchingly is hard, but I do it. I have nothing to hide here. “Yes.”
“Right now?” he prods.
“Fucking hell, Leigh. Yes, right now. What’s with the inquisition?”
He bites his bottom lip, taking a moment to process his thoughts or whatever the fuck. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
He raises his hands in surrender. “Don’t get defensive, bro. Just be careful. I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”
My defenses are definitely triggered, but his words make me pause before I answer him. “Neither one of us can get hurt in this scenario. We’re just friends.”
He gestures back and forth between us. “You and I? We’re just friends, Spence. Whatever you and Sky have isn’t this. It’s more, and you know it.” He cuts me off before I can speak. “Nope. Don’t say anything. Tell Sky I said ‘hey’ and we gotta hang soon. Later, man.” He grabs his bags and leaves me standing there.
This guy. My brain is already a mess, and this is what he does?
“Yo, Spencer. Get your shit so we can all go home already.” Kyle’s tired voice startles me into motion.
Once I’m in my truck, I type Sky’s address into the GPS and hit the road.
Sky’s neighborhoodis located in this busy suburban area interspersed with a mix of stores, restaurants, small office buildings, and residential buildings. On my drive over, I passed a bunch of houses too. It seems to be a nice combination of suburban living meets city life.
It reminds me of the college town where I went to school. At a glance, it’s easy to see he’s within walking distance of anything he could possibly need.
Sky gave me the gate code, so I punch it into the keypad and the gate swings open. Directly in front of the gate, I pause at the stop sign to get my bearings. The sun hasn’t fully risen, but there’s enough sunlight to see everything clearly. Immediately inside, there’s a large building. The sign out front labels it as theclubhouse and gym. There’s a tennis court and basketball court as well. A playground, picnic tables, pavilions, and pools beyond that.
It looks like a huge entertaining area from what I can see out my window. The areas are deserted right now since it’s still early, but I imagine it gets crowded during the day.
To my left are some traditional apartment buildings. My GPS directs me to make a right and continue straight until I reach my destination on the left. On this side, there’s a long row of two-story townhouses. Each one has its own driveaway and one-car garage. There’s also a spot in front of each home where one car can parallel park. It’s not the most parking I’ve ever seen, but it seems adequate.
My GPS notifies me I have arrived at my destination. There’s a sporty little Chevy SUV parked at the curb. His driveway is empty, so I pull in and shift into park. When I get out, my eyes take in my surroundings. Farther down the lane, there’s a clearly marked visitors parking lot near another set of pavilions, picnic tables, and grills.
It’s easy to picture Sky here, surrounded by so many things to do. Plenty of ways to interact with his neighbors. From prior conversations, I know he makes use of the gym and pool frequently.
Sky opens the door before I can even knock. The scent of bacon greets me, and I’m drooling at the scent. “Hey, boo,” he says as he places his hands on my shoulders, pops up on his tiptoes, and brushes a gentle kiss on my cheek. Warmth spreads at the contact. Before I’ve even fully processed what happened, he’s backing away.
His scent lingers in my nose. Yep, it’s official. He definitely smells better than the bacon he’s cooking. Fuck, I could eat him alive.