Tamed (Torn #5)(18)

While I felt like one big ball of nerves, he was sitting across from me, completely relaxed. I wanted to kick him for being so calm and collected.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I mumbled. “You?”

“I have to work.”

“On a Sunday?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I help my uncle run a gas station about a mile from here. Since I’m usually out late, he generally puts me on the afternoon shift. Sundays are the exception though.”

“I didn’t even know you had a job,” I said, feeling like an idiot.

He laughed. “Well, I have to pay rent somehow. The money from our shows at Gold’s helps, but it isn’t enough.”

“I never really thought about you having a life outside of the bar,” I admitted. “Are you in school, too? I haven’t seen you around campus.”

He shook his head. “Nah, school isn’t for me. I barely managed to graduate high school on time. I used to skip constantly. The thought of signing up for four years of hell just so I can have a piece of paper to show the world how smart I am really doesn’t interest me. Besides, I don’t want to end up with a shit-ton of student loan debt.”

“My mom and dad pretty much told me I was going to college whether I wanted to or not. I didn’t have a choice, but I think I still would’ve gone even if they had let me decide.”

“Why?” he asked.

I gave him a tiny smile. “My parents have really nice jobs—a doctor and a lawyer. I grew up with nice things, and I really don’t feel like changing my lifestyle all that much. I don’t want the responsibilities they have, but I do want to be able to afford a nice house one day.”

“If you aren’t going to follow in their footsteps, what do you plan on doing?”

I shrugged. “Still undecided, but I’m leaning toward being a paralegal.”

“Sounds fancy,” he mumbled.

“Not really. I’d work at a law firm, but I wouldn’t be included in all the political bullshit that my dad has to deal with.”

I couldn’t believe I was sitting here, telling Adam about my hopes for the future. I was even more surprised that he’d given me a few small tidbits of information about his life. For some reason, I’d never given any thought to what he did when he wasn’t with the band.

“So, you said you work with your uncle?”

He nodded.

“What do your parents think about you working with him?”

I saw anger flash in his eyes, but it was gone a moment later.

“My parents couldn’t care less if I was alive or dead. I doubt if it bothers them that their only son is working at a gas station.”

If it hadn’t been for Chloe’s twisted relationship with her mother, I would’ve frozen in shock at his words. While I had two parents who really loved me, I’d seen the ugly side of Chloe’s f*cked-up life. I’d sat with her when she would come to my house beaten and bleeding. I’d listened to the things her mother said to her when she bothered to call her only child. So, no, Adam’s words hadn’t shocked me the way they should have. I was pretty sure I’d seen it all already. Nothing he might say about his parents would shock me.

“I don’t speak from personal experience, but I’ve seen how screwed-up parents can be. It’s too bad that yours suck.”

He paused, obviously caught off guard. He probably thought I’d try to apologize for whatever they had done to him and then try to make him feel better. In situations like this, there was nothing I or anyone else could say to make things right. Sometimes, f*cked-up situations stayed that way.

Finally, he gave me a small grin. “They do suck, but I’m over it. I’ve been on my own since I was eighteen. Well, that’s not entirely true. My uncle helped me after they kicked me out on my ass with nothing more than a suitcase full of clothes and my guitar. He gave me a job and helped me find a place to live.”

“How long has it been since you talked to them?”

“Three years.”

“So, you’re twenty-one?”

He nodded.

“Have you tried to contact them at all?”

He shook his head. “Nope. If they want to find me, all they have to do is talk to my uncle. Until then, I’m fine with how things are. I don’t need them.”

Our waitress appeared, her arms full of plates. We fell silent as she put everything down on the table in front of us.

“Do you need anything else?” she asked.

“We’re good.” I picked up my fork and dug into my pancakes.

When Adam chuckled, I looked up.

“What’s so funny?”

He shook his head. “I just told you more about me than I’ve ever told another chick—well, except for Jade, but she doesn’t count as a girl. She’s a band member.”

“I’m glad you told me. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “There’s nothing to be curious about when it comes to me. What you see is what you get.”

Somehow, I doubted that, but I kept my opinion to myself.

We finished breakfast in silence. I didn’t mind though. It wasn’t that awkward silence where I felt like I was drowning. Instead, it was peaceful.

“I should probably head to work,” Adam said after finishing his coffee.