Fighting Silence (On the Ropes #1)(33)

“What?” he yelled innocently. “I was kidding. We were just joking around. Tell ’em, Eliza.”

I was afraid that, if I spoke, the laughter I was desperately trying to suppress would leak out. “Yeah. Joking. Totally.”

I bit my lip and turned to Till, who had his hands planted on his hips. Because I’d been fully expecting him to be pissed at Quarry, I was surprised to see that his shitty attitude was aimed at me.

“What’s that look for?”

His shoulders flexed as he cracked his neck. “I don’t want you talking to him anymore.”

“And here we go,” Slate mumbled from across the room.

“Uhh . . . who? Quarry?” I asked in shock.

“Derrick. I don’t like him, and I sure as shit don’t want you anywhere near him.” He narrowed his eyes at me, taking me aback by this sudden attitude.

It was unusual for Till to be an ass to me, but it wasn’t exactly an anomaly. I knew exactly how to handle him.

I very calmly pasted on a patronizing smile. “Well, I didn’t know that, Till. Perhaps it would be easier if you made me a list of who I’m allowed to talk to,” I said condescendingly as I dug into my purse and pulled out a sketchpad. Dramatically, I licked the end of the pencil before poising it over the paper. “Or wait. A leash might be better for full control over who I’m near. I’m sure we could temporarily rig one up with a jump rope or something. Please just let me know what works best for you.” I popped an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Quarry told Slate as they started laughing behind me.

“Don’t give me that shit, Doodle. I don’t like him. He’s a self-centered, arrogant prick. ”

“Oh, well, you should have just said that, then. I already have one of those. I don’t need another,” I smarted off.

“Burn!” Quarry whispered, but neither Till nor I shifted our focus.

“Seriously?” He crossed his arms to match mine.

“I don’t know. You tell me. Are you serious with this crap?”

He sucked in a breath through his nose. It was angry going in, but he held it until he released it on a resigned sigh. “Look. I have never once asked you not to hang out with someone. Never. You make your own decisions about guys, and no matter how big of a douchebag they are, I keep my mouth shut. But I can’t bite my tongue here. I do not like that guy. It makes my skin crawl that you are even on his radar. We’re family, right? Well, family watches out for each other. So, Doodle, I’m asking you. Please. Stay. Away. From Derrick.”

I held my attitude for a few seconds longer, but it wasn’t because I was still mad. Rather, if I spoke, I knew I’d start crying.

We’re family.

There was no way he could truly understand the depths of what those words meant to me. I swallowed hard, trying to force the emotions back, and for once, I actually succeeded.

“Okay.”

His head snapped back as if I had slapped him. “Um . . . okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. If you had started with that explanation instead of being all bossy, this conversation could have been a whole lot shorter. I get it. You don’t like him. I’ll steer clear.”

Till smiled, and it reflected on my own lips.

“Besides I’m in a very committed relationship with Justin Timberlake right now. ”

“Good. Keep it that way.” He cupped the back of my neck and pulled me up against his chest.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him as his hand slid up and down my back.

Till and I both knew we had a strange relationship. It was more than a friendship, but there wasn’t romance or sex. There was definitely love though. Immeasurable amounts of it. I knew that Till had this grand fantasy about me. But what he didn’t realized was all that he gave me in return. He was the only thing I’d ever had that I honestly thought I couldn’t live without. Till Page was my soulmate on every level. I’d accepted that it didn’t have to be sexual between us. Truth be told, I’d have been happy to sit in an empty room for the rest of my life as long as he was sitting beside me.

But it was moments like those, when his arms were protectively folded around me, and his heart beat a strong rhythm in my ear, that made me want more.





“I NEED TILL TO SIGN this paper for school,” Quarry said as I opened the door.

“Uh, okay? He’s not here.”

“Really? His truck is here.”

I glanced out into the parking lot, and sure enough, Till’s truck was parked front and center. “I haven’t seen him at all today, actually.”

“Well, he wasn’t at the gym this afternoon either. Slate drove us home.”

“And you checked his room?”

“No. But I didn’t hear him come in. He must have snuck past.”

I headed back to my room. “Till?” I yelled at the ceiling. But I didn’t get a response. “Till!” I yelled again.

“Yeah.”

I heard his voice, but it wasn’t coming from the ceiling. “Where are you?” I looked around my room.

“Purgatory,” he slurred then began to laugh.

I traced his voice to the window, but when I lifted it, I didn’t see him anywhere. “Till?” I called again, getting frustrated.