Distraction (43 page)

"Nah, I think I
'
m gonna stick around here. When do
you and Eric come back?"

I pulled my lip between my teeth. Was he a freaking
mindreader? My heart rate escalated, though I did my best to remain impassive.
Right now wasn
'
t the time or place to bring up the possibility of us being
together. I did what I do best–stalled.

"I told Eric I wasn
'
t going after
you were hurt." I hadn't completely lied, though I could feel the pressure
of his questioning eyes from my peripheral. I focused my attention on the road,
refusing to look his way.

"I see. Do you want to stick around and help me out? I
could use a good nurse." After successfully shifting into fourth gear, I
chanced a look. Tristan
'
s wicked grin heated my cheeks, and my heart danced for a
different reason. The thought of helping Tristan undress or shower became a
full-on fantasy that was sure to cause me to wreck his precious car if I didn
'
t control
myself.

"I
'
d have to check my calendar, but I think I could fit you in,"
I said, turning my attention back to the road.

"Thanks," he said with a smile in his voice.

Twenty minutes later, I parked Tristan
'
s car in his
driveway. His parents would be here any minute, and I wanted to keep busy and
out of sight until they left.

"I
'
ll go open the door first. Stay where you are."

"Bossy…you have no idea how much I like this side of
you."

I rolled my eyes, refusing to respond.

When I
'
d unlocked the door and turned back to the car, I found
Tristan working to get out. He swayed, and I rushed
over
and wrapped my
arms around his waist to steady him.

"I told you not to move." I looked up–and stopped
breathing. His face leaned in super close, his eyes sparkling with mischief in
the sunlight.

"I
'
m feeling much better now," he said with a crooked grin.
Like gravity, my eyes were pulled to his lips. I couldn't help myself, and
licked my lips to keep from leaning forward.

"Lick your lips again and I won't be responsible for my
actions."

My eyes snapped up. He wasn
'
t smiling
anymore. The look in his eyes changed from teasing to stormy, causing my
stomach to tighten and my legs to weaken all at the same time. At this rate, we
'
d both be on the
ground.

A car honked turning into the driveway, pulling me back to
reality. Breaking the moment, I stood straight and moved to Tristan
'
s side. His
parents parked their car and his mom jumped out to help me walk her son inside
the house.

"
Thanks, Mom,
" Tristan said, smiling, though I could see a sheen of
sweat on his forehead when he sat on his couch.

He mentioned his head still hurt, not surprising since he
refused to take any pain medication before he left. The nurse said he
'
d have to stay
another hour if he had. Tristan had given me his prescription once we
'
d made our way
to the car. This was my chance to give them all some privacy.

"I
'
m going to take your prescription to the pharmacy. I
'
ll be back in a
bit. Do you need me to pick up anything else while I
'
m out?
"

Mrs. Daniels smiled back at me and looked to Tristan.

"Nah, just be sure to grab my wallet before you go. Oh,
wait, could you grab some
food?
"

"Sure, where
'
s your wallet?"

"It's in the console along with my insurance card."

"Okay, I
'
ll be back in a bit."

Tristan’s lips curved up as his eyes grew heavy. “I’ll be
waiting."

Chapter
30

Tristan

"Seems you and Elle are getting along." My mom
looked at me when Elle left.

"Yeah, listen, Mom." I cleared my throat. I knew my
parents wanted to stay, but I had to get them out of my house, hopefully before
Elle came back. If my dad said one more derogatory comment at her expense, I'd
lose my shit.

"Elle said she would stay until I got back on my feet. I
know you wanted me to come home for Thanksgiving, but I think it'd be best if I
stayed."

"Sounds good," my mom said, surprising me. I
figured I
'
d have to grovel before she agreed. "I deposited some
money into your account. Be sure to call if you need anything, and don
'
t be a bother to
Elle." My mom stood up from the couch.

"Um, okay?"

"I
'
m glad she
'
s here for you, Tristan, but don
'
t mess this up."
I stared back at my mom, shocked. Was she suggesting what I thought she was
suggesting?

My dad walked in before I could ask. "I guess you
'
re all set."
My mom looked at me then back to my dad.

"Yes, Wade. I think we should get back on the road
before the time gets too late. Tristan needs his rest." Dad and I wore the
same bewildered look.

"Marcy, he just got out of the hospital." His
response completely threw me. He wasn
'
t the nurturing parent.

"Yes, and he
'
s being taken care of. Now, let
'
s go." With
a look of steel, my mom turned back to me. "Don
'
t forget what I
said, Tristan."

"Yes, ma
'
am. I won
'
t."

"
Good
. Wade, tell your son goodbye. I
'
ll wait for you
in the car." With that, my mom walked out my door.

"I
'
m not sure what has gotten into your mother, but if she feels
you
'
re okay to leave, then we'll get going." My dad
scratched his head. The gesture was so uncommon, I laughed.

"No worries, Dad. I
'
m good here. Be
careful on the way back home."

My dad cleared his throat, rocking back on his heels.
"Good, good. Call us if you need anything."

"
Will do.
"

He looked around, gave a curt nod, and walked out. As soon as
the door closed, I sank into my couch. My head still pounded, but knowing Elle
would be back with my medication eased some of the pain. I propped my feet up
on the couch and closed my eyes to wait for her.

Elle

The freaking pharmacy took forever. There wasn
'
t anyone to wait
on but me, and I still had to wait an hour. After I paid for Tristan
'
s prescription,
I ran to the closest grocery store and picked up a few items for dinner. The
pharmacist said he shouldn
'
t take his meds on an empty stomach, and there was no telling
what, if any, food he had in his house. Finished and back in Tristan
'
s car, I dialed
Alyssa
'
s number.

"Elle, how
'
s Tristan?"

"He
'
s good. I
'
m staying with him until he
'
s able to move
around without killing himself." The line went silent. "
Hello
? Alyssa?"

"I
'
m here. So what does Eric have to say about you staying at
Tristan
'
s house?" Oh shit. I
'
d completely
forgotten to tell her.

"About that–"

"I cannot believe you, Elle. This is beyond cruel."
I
laughed.
"You
think this is funny? Or have you officially lost your damn mind."

"If you
'
d shut your piehole for one second I would
'
ve explained
that Eric and I broke up already, but no. Not you."

"
Well, it
'
s about damn time."

I rolled my eyes while backing out of the crowded parking
lot. "You
'
re not going to apologize. Are you?" The line went
silent, again. "
Never mind, I
'
ve got to get off and drive. I
'
ll call you
later."

"
Good luck.
"

"Thanks." I tossed my phone in the seat beside me.

Pulling into Tristan
'
s driveway, I was pleasantly
surprised his parents weren't there. I grabbed the few bags of groceries,
Tristan
'
s prescription, and headed in.

Inside, the house was quiet except for the extra loud snoring
coming from the couch. Tristan
'
s long legs hung over the side, and his good arm rested on
the floor.

His fridge only sported a case of beer, no food in sight.
Really, I wasn
'
t too surprised. With the food put away, I headed toward the
living room.

Tristan snorted loudly through his nose making me laugh. He
always snored–and talked–while he slept. I kneeled next to him.

"
Tristan, wake up.
" He grunted in reply. "
Tristan, wake
up.
"

"I love you, Elle… need you."

My hand stilled in midair, and my breath caught in my throat,
as instant tears rimmed the bottom of my lids. My heart raced. Sitting a minute
longer, I couldn't help but wonder if he
'
d say more.

Tears slid down his face, and my heart ached. What was he
dreaming of? Tristan shifted on the couch but didn
'
t wake.

Watching him sleep, I couldn't help but fall even more in
love with him. He loved me, and I
'
d hurt him in return, all because I was afraid to give myself
to him completely.

I shut my eyes and inhaled deeply. I needed to grow up and
stop being so damn afraid all the time. I knew I
'
d never get what
I wanted unless I was willing to take a risk. I’d tell him about Eric. Soon.

I opened my eyes and found Tristan smiling in his sleep as if
he knew. I moved to his bedroom and grabbed a blanket to cover him. With
Tristan snuggled under the blanket, I headed to the kitchen to start dinner.

Noodles boiled and hamburger meat browned in the skillet when
I heard Tristan's moan from the living room. I grabbed his pills and poured a
glass of milk. I found Tristan holding his head in his hand, wincing.

"Headache?"

"You have no idea."

"Here, take these. Dinner
'
s almost ready.
Are you hungry?"

Tristan looked up, squinting his eyes at me. I handed the
pills and milk to him. He popped them in his mouth and gulped them down.

"Thanks. Yeah, I could eat. Smells good."

"Don
'
t get up, I
'
ll be right back." He didn
'
t reply as I
walked back to his room, grabbed his pillow, and headed back out.

“Here," I lifted his head, sliding the pillow under,
“rest while I finish up."

He closed his eyes closed. "
Thanks
.
"

I smiled.
"
No problem. I
'
ll let you know when dinner's ready."

Chapter
31

Tristan

Whatever Elle was cooking smelled amazing, but the throbbing
shit in my head made my stomach roll. Of course, I wouldn
't tell Elle
. I carefully
fell back down, hoping the pills would kick in by the time she finished. It
didn
'
t take long until my eyelids became heavy and I fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes again, the lights in the living room
were out, leaving the space dark, and only a faint smell of dinner lingered in
the air. The sound of the shower caught my attention, and suddenly I had to
piss like a racehorse. I lifted myself off the couch, careful in case my head
started to pound, but the ache had dulled considerably. Thank God.