Page 49

CHAPTER 49

GONE METH-ING

MARGAUX

LATER IN THE DAY

“ S o Uncle next door and I bonded, by the way,” Timmy says casually, leaning against the counter like he’s about to share the story of the year. He’s referring to the elderly man whose apartment directly faces ours.

“Oh yeah?” I ask, barely looking up from my laptop. Uncle seems nice enough—a quiet, wheelchair-bound man who mostly keeps to himself. But I know Timmy well enough to expect that this story will have a twist. “What’d you guys bond over?”

Timmy’s grin widens. “He helps give me perspective. Says I need to treat you better, and not drink so much. Says I should smoke weed instead.”

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued despite myself. “Okay, solid advice.” I pause. “Wait, when was this conversation?”

“Yesterday,” he replies, “when I was upset with you and ran out. His door was open, so I went in.” He shrugs, as if walking into a neighbor’s apartment uninvited is the most natural thing in the world.

“Wait—what?” I close my laptop and sit up straighter. “You just… went in?”

“Yeah,” Timmy says, laughing now. “He was chilling there, totally naked.”

I blink, unsure whether to laugh or cry. “You walked into a naked uncle’s apartment to talk about your problems?”

Timmy nods, clearly proud of his newfound connection. “He gave me perspective, though! Said his life changed when he had a heart attack and ended up in a wheelchair. Told me not to sweat the small stuff.”

“Well, I’m glad Uncle’s got wisdom to share,” I say slowly, processing. “Maybe next time, wear clothes when you hang out, though?”

Timmy laughs again, brushing off the comment.

I decide to take the opportunity to set some boundaries. “Timmy, today and tomorrow are really important for my book,” I say carefully. “I need us to have a couple of calm, productive days. Can you help me with that?”

His eyes soften, and for a moment, he looks like the man I thought I fell in love with. “Of course,” he says with a gentle smile. “You know I’ll do anything I can to support you.”