Coming Home(102)

The idea that she still wanted to spend time with him, that she continued to treat him the way she had before she found out he had ended someone’s life, it all seemed too good to be true—and despite the fact that he had accused Jake of getting ahead of himself, the truth was, Danny was afraid he might be the one guilty of it.

He took another bite of pizza. “Just because she didn’t give me my walking papers doesn’t mean she wants to be with me.”

“It means she still wants to be around you.”

Danny shook his head. “I’m not gonna push her. I don’t know what she wants. This has gotta be on her terms, alright? Just leave it alone.”

He needed to keep reminding himself of that. Because the more he thought about their situation, the more hopeful he became, and he couldn’t afford to be on a different page than she was.

“Invite her out for your birthday.”

Danny laughed in disbelief. “Did you not hear a single word I just said?”

“No, I heard you,” Jake said around another mouthful of food. “I just think you’re being a f*cking tool.”

Danny stopped chewing as he stifled a smile. “Since when is it acceptable to call your boss a f*cking tool to his face?”

“Come on, man,” Jake said. “I see what this is about. You don’t want to get your hopes up in case she’s not offering you what you want from her. But the bottom line is, this girl likes being around you. Maybe she wants to be your friend, maybe she wants to be more. I get the whole ‘give her space’ thing, but if you play this too cool, you’re gonna f*ck it up. You don’t wanna look indifferent. You think she’s gonna stick around in any capacity if she thinks you don’t give a shit either way?”

Danny stared at his friend. Maybe it was because Jake spent so much of his time saying things that were intentionally provocative or offensive, but on those rare occasions when he came from a place of sincerity, his words seemed that much more profound.

“Invite her out for your birthday,” Jake suggested again. “Friends go out for each other’s birthdays. You’re not making any assumptions or declarations by including her. Me and Tommy aren’t even bringing chicks, so it’s not like there’s gonna be a couples vibe or anything. You like this girl. You like being around her. Stop wasting time you don’t have.”

Danny ran his hand through his hair as Jake’s words echoed in his ears, bouncing around his skull and burrowing into his consciousness until they were beating in his blood.

You like being around her. Stop wasting time you don’t have.

He hadn’t seen what he was doing as wasting time, but Jake did have a point. His days were numbered, and he wanted to spend as many of them with her as he could, friends or otherwise.

Stop wasting time you don’t have.

Danny twisted the cap back on his drink. “I’ll think about it,” he said. “Can we shut the f*ck up about this now?”

Jake gave him a flimsy salute before he shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth.

“By the way,” he garbled around his mouthful. “I’m not bringing a girl, but I might still try to get a blow job in the bathroom. Leah doesn’t need to know that, though.”

And just like that, Jake was back.

Danny burst out laughing before he threw a wad of tin foil at him, and Jake shrugged, wiping his hands on his pants before he stood and made his way back out to the garage.

Danny shook his head as he turned back toward the table, and then he reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone, staring at the screen for just a moment before he opened a new text window and clicked on her name.