Before I could overthink it, I dialed his number.

“Hey, everything okay?” He answered after five rings, and I could tell by his breathy voice that he was busy.

When I didn’t answer right away, he muffled the phone with his palm but I could still hear him speaking to someone through it. My throat felt thick with something I couldn’t swallow as my mind raced, wondering who was there with him. When the phone cleared, he spoke again.

“What’s going on?”

“Can I come over?”

He paused. “Uh, it’s not really a good time. Did something happen? Are you hurt?”

“Please, Rhodes.” I hated the way my voice sounded when I pleaded with him. “I don’t really have anyone else to call right now. My parents are out of town and Willow… well, she’s not available. It’s kind of a long story but I really need to clear my head right now. Go for a run with me or cook for me or something — anything. I just need to… I need to do something.”

Rhodes drew out a long breath laced with curse words and I paced as I waited for him to answer.

“Okay. Give me thirty.”

He hung up before I could answer, but I exhaled, feeling some sort of unexplainable hope that he would hold the key to making me feel better. I realized then that Rhodes often gave me a hope that no one else could, and that recognition scared me.

I dressed in workout clothes, tossing my hair into a bun before packing a bag with extra clothes just in case we did something after. I didn’t know why I expected Rhodes to want to spend his Saturday night with me, and I guess that’s not really what I was asking. I just needed to pass some time, to get out of my thoughts and into my body for a while. Rhodes was actually a pro at ignoring me and not talking, which is more of what I needed in that moment. Maybe that was why I called him — it just made sense.

I left my house earlier than I needed to, mostly because I couldn’t stand to be in there alone anymore. I couldn’t believe I was taking the news of Willow leaving as hard as I was. It wasn’t like I thought she wouldn’t get into the program. Still, the hit of her news crashed through my already shaky emotions and I’d found myself spinning. I needed something to ground me.

Pulling up to Rhodes’ apartment complex ten minutes earlier than he’d asked, I tried to pass time playing on my phone in the Rover. Pictures of Mason and Shay along with congratulations posts to Willow flooded my social media networks and I tossed my phone into the passenger seat, letting out a frustrated sigh.

I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, applied another coat of lip balm, cleaned my Ray Bans with the end of my t-shirt before placing them back in their case. I popped in a piece of gum and chewed it for a minute before spitting it out my window. Not even sixty seconds had passed.

I knew he was with someone when I called, but surely he had time to get back home by now, right? I didn’t see his bike, but then again I wouldn’t see his bike because he parked it inside. Sighing, I gave up trying to wait.

“Screw it.”

I grabbed my bag and jumped out of the SUV, locking it behind me. The closer I got to Rhodes’ apartment, the more the familiar nerves my body associated with his proximity consumed me. He always made me anxious and I had no idea why.

When I reached his front door, I lifted my hand to knock, but it swung wide open before my knuckles could tap the light blue exterior. Rhodes stood in the doorway, but he wasn’t the only one. A busty woman with razor cut brunette hair and a fake tan was wrapped around him, her lips hard on his. She was giggling, but startled as Rhodes ripped his mouth from hers to stare at me.

“Shit.”

I snapped out of my trance and let my eyes fall to the ground. “Uh, sorry.”

“It’s all good, babe,” the woman said, her leathery hand touching my arm as she excused herself from Rhodes’ apartment. “We just finished up.” She threw a wink back at him and my stomach lurched, my cheeks burning. “See you at the club Monday, stud.”

With that, she swayed down the hallway, intoxicated by a high I was sure only Rhodes could provide. She didn’t even have her shoes on. She was waltzing away barefoot, her high heels hooked on two dainty fingers over her shoulder.

Rhodes and I both watched her until she was out of sight. I lifted my eyes to meet his again, but he’d already turned his back, leaving the door open behind him.

“Who was that?” I asked, following. I closed the door and tossed my bag on the floor.

“A client.”

“Uh huh.”

He leveled his eyes at me. “Don’t make this about me. I told you thirty minutes. It’s been twenty-five.”

“Well at least you have your timing down,” I scoffed.

“Why are you here?”

His question knocked the cocky smirk from my face. “Willow got into the early admittance program. She’s leaving in three weeks.”

Rhodes didn’t soften his glare or offer an apology. He simply nodded, turning toward his bedroom. “Let me get changed and we can run.”

And run we did. We didn’t talk the entire time, save for random things I spouted off on my watch, like how the first mile we ran was my fastest mile yet. Rhodes led me through the trail that lined the back of his apartment complex, showing me a side of Poxton Beach I’d never seen before. We ran past a few homeless colonies, their shaded eyes wary of us as we did. I swallowed, running faster to stay close to Rhodes.

I wasn’t sure how far we ran, but we were out for at least an hour before we made our way back to his place. Neither of us said a word as we took turns showering, and I knew he really was what I needed most in that moment. I already felt better about Willow, the run helping my thoughts settle, and Rhodes didn’t ask me to talk about it if I didn’t want to.

Still, after our showers, I sat on one of his kitchen bar stools with my hair in a wet, messy bun and watched as he pre-heated the oven, finally feeling like maybe I did want to talk. Even if just a little bit.

I waited as Rhodes began pulling ingredients and cooking utensils out onto the counter, wondering if maybe he’d ask me to talk about it, but he never did. That was part of his allure, which I knew, so the ball was in my court if I wanted to talk. For a while, I just watched him cook in silence. Every now and then he would glance up at me, but then his focus was drawn right back into the meal. He seemed to be working through something, too. Even while we were running, I could feel some kind of emotion steaming out of him, too.