Shadowing Me
Page 25

“Earth to Tatiana, do you want me to get out and pump the gas for you, darlin’?”
I scowl at Smokey before I open my car door. I hate when he escorts me places. He used to say nothing, but now he talks all the time, and no one can seem to shut him the hell up. I miss the quiet, mysterious side of him. This part of him always manages to piss me off. I slam my car door shut because I want him to know I’m angry he’s my babysitter again. I have asked Godfather to give me someone else. Hell, I would even take dealing with my attraction to Shadow and have him escort me around instead of Smokey.
“Tatiana?”
I groan out loud at the sound of that voice. I turn towards him. Haden. My first love and the first guy to break my heart is right there getting gas on the other side of the pump. My luck, but why isn’t he off at school?
“Haden? Hey, why aren’t you at college right now?”
I don’t bother with niceties. He lost that right when he cheated on me. He looks like hell, now that I look more closely at him. What the hell happened to him?
“Ugh, about that… I had to take a semester off. My mom passed away.”
Shit. You and your fucking mouth, Tatiana.
“I’m sorry for your loss. Really, Haden, I’m truly sorry. Your mom was a great woman.”
I wonder how I missed that in the obituaries. All of a sudden, I’m angry at myself because I had a great relationship with his mother when Haden and I were together.
He nods. “She was. Cancer is a bitch.”
I agree, but she was perfectly healthy half a year ago. Haden must sense my confusion because he answers me like he’s in my head.
“They found it too late.” He sighs sadly.
This might seem trivial to ask him after he told me the news about his mom, but I need to know because this was a part of his life. He lived for this. “What about football?”
The look that comes over him breaks my damn heart in half.
“I had to give it up. Dad can’t handle everything by himself. I can try out again when I go back, but I lost my full ride.”
“That sucks, Haden. I feel like I need to keep apologizing.” I stick my credit card into the pump and insert the nozzle into my car.
Haden pulls his cellphone out of his pocket then looks back at me. “Want to go and get some breakfast at Ma and Pop’s, to catch up, for old time’s sake?”
His question stuns me. We didn’t end things on good terms, and here we both are being civil adults. My dad would be proud of how I am acting right now. I’ll have to tell him I was around Haden without throwing a bitch fit later. “Sure, but the club is on lockdown again so I have an escort.” I jam my thumb behind me, gesturing towards a bored Smokey. “I’ll make him sit at a different table.” I laugh.
“I’ve missed that laugh, Tatiana. It was always such a carefree sound.”
I gulp. This isn’t a Haden I recognize. He never once complimented or flattered me in any way, other than an occasional you look hot comment. My cheeks flush, and I whisper thank you. I mean, what else am I supposed to say? I used to be in love with this guy.
“Well… meet you at Ma and Pop’s in ten?” I try to move the conversation into a different direction.
“Yeah, ten.” He smiles.
Shit. I have never once seen a smile like that from him either. When I finish pumping my gas, I hang up the nozzle, tear my receipt from the slot, and get in my car. I take a deep breath, buckle my seatbelt, and start the engine.
“Was that Haden?”
Oh dammit, Smokey! Stop talking again. You were funner to hang out with then.
“It was,” I say aggravated as I pull out of the parking lot and make my way to the restaurant.
“Hey, where are we going? We’re only supposed to be getting gas.”
I wish I had some duct tape to shut him up!
“We’re having breakfast with Haden, and your ass is sitting at your own table. You guys give me no damn privacy.”
“One, I didn’t wanna sit with your grumpy ass either, and two, this is gonna piss Shadow off. You know he worries about you.” Smokey scowls at me.
What in the hell? Since when? That asshole doesn’t worry about me. He is always fending himself off me. Guys truly do not understand the female sex. I’m glad I took Piper’s advice to move on from Shadow. She was right to say I was wasting my time by going after him. I tried to argue with her about it for a few minutes, but then she said that not everyone will give in to temptation and their feelings. When she said that, it made me realize how much of my time and life I was wasting, waiting for Shadow to smart up about the two of us getting together.
Haden’s being back home under tragic circumstances might be my saving grace from Shadow, if I start to hang out with Haden while he’s home for the semester. It would give me a distraction and something to think about other than Shadow. The day I can go without thinking of him once will be the day I know I can truly live my life without ever having something to do with him other than friendship. I hope being friends with Haden and my plan to use this time with him at home will provide me with that one day that I need.
When we get to Ma and Pop’s, I motion for Smokey to find another table, but before I can finish my sentence, I see Shadow eating breakfast and drinking coffee like it is an everyday thing. This isn’t his routine, so what the hell is he doing here?
“On second thought, there’s Shadow. Go sit with his ass.”
Haden strolls in as soon as I take a seat in a window booth, far away from the guys. I want as much space between us as I can get.