Page 50 of His Surrender

Ameowcame from the other side of the bedroom door. I had closed it before the phone sex so I wouldn’t have a pair of eyes watching me the entire time.

“Coming.” I got out of bed and opened the door.

Sputnik entered the room, brushing against my leg, and then sat on the floor beside the bed, waiting for me to pick him up.

“You’re spoiled, you know that?” I put him on the bed and got back in it. He bumped my hand with his head and lay beside me. “Spoiled rotten.”

I turned off the lamp. When I closed my eyes, I pictured Remi’s smile right before the video chat had ended, and my heart fluttered like crazy.

He had asked me totry—and god, was I trying. Instead of continuing the back-and-forth bullshit of drawing each other in and pushing away, we were getting to know each other. Because I was tired of staying away from him.

Was I ready for a relationship? No. Not really.

But I wasn’t ready to walk away from him either.

Chapter 12

Remi

Friday afternoon, I sat in the band room during my free period, sorting through the music for the spring concert. The class had voted on an “anything goes” theme where a variety of songs from different genres would be included. A few of them would be performed with Laura’s choir students.

The solo that several of the students had tried out for that week was for “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana. I had arranged the piece to either have a clarinet, bass clarinet, or flute to give more students an opportunity to try out for it.

I had finally decided on who I wanted to have the part and would be announcing it during class that afternoon.

My phone was on silent, but I saw the screen light up from the corner of my eye.

Beautiful Bastard:Saw this and thought of you.

He attached a picture of him holding a key chain of a piano surrounded by music notes.

Me:…are you out shopping? I thought you were at work, Mr. Foley.

Beautiful Bastard:I am working. But I also have to eat.

Me:So you grabbed lunch at the mall food court?

He called me.

“Hello?”

“Yes, I came to the mall,” he answered in a huff, though it sounded playful. “Ivan’s birthday is coming up, and I have no idea what to get his ass. Any suggestions?”

“I don’t know your brother, so I don’t know what he likes.”

“He likes sports, cars, camping, and working out.” Noise sounded from his side of the phone, a bunch of mingled voices. “Oh, what about cologne?”

“It might be weird to get your brother cologne, Jay.”

“Goddammit, you’re right.” He then mumbled something in Russian.

“What did you get him for past birthdays?”

“I sent him money,” Jay answered. “I want to get him a real gift this time. It’s the first birthday in years where I’ll actually get to see him. Our mother will probably throw him an ungodly huge party on top of it. I can already feel myself get fat. She makessomuch food and doesn’t take no for an answer when she offers you seconds.”

I laughed. “She sounds fun.”

“She is,” he said, and then he got quiet. “Maybe y… never mind.”