Chapter 9

Tatum

"Did you give Remy his note today?" Addie asks as we work in the kitchen, making one of the three things we know how to make for dinner.

"Yeah, but then I didn't hear from him again, so I don't know how to feel about that." I chop the tomatoes and lettuce for our taco salads.

"Maybe he got busy. When I talked to Dad earlier, he was heading over to the gym to work out with Drew and Remy, so maybe he had previous plans."

I bite my lip, tilting my head to the side. "I just figured he might have texted me after he got my note, ya know?"

"Didn't you tell me you asked him to take it slow? How romantic would it be if the two of you corresponded with nothing but the notes for a while?" Her eyes are swoony as she turns around to face me from where she's grilling the taco meat.

"Jesus Addie, this isn't a damn Hallmark movie. And I didn't tell him to take it slow; I basically said it'll go at its own pace."

"Could be," she argues. "You don't know what in the world he has planned for you two. If anyone deserves some happiness, it's you and Rem."

"Doesn't mean it's going to be a Hallmark movie." I laugh as I grab a pepper, cutting it for myself since Addie doesn't like them.

"Doesn't mean it won't be either. Are you nervous?" she asks, putting the packet of taco seasoning into the meat she just browned.

I've wondered that about myself since I left the note for Remy. I'm not exactly nervous, per se, but I'm worried. "I just don't know if it'll last," I admit. "I mean, statistically how many women stay with their first crush?"

"Who gives a shit about statistics, Tate? You dropped out of college before you even got that far." She gives me a grin.

"So did you."

We both sigh, because neither one of us know what the hell we want to do with our lives. "What are we going to do with ourselves?" she asks. "What are we going to be?"

"I don't know, Addie, I just don't know. We have this conversation every night when you get home from working with your mom and I get home from working for Cash. Maybe we're not supposed to know yet, ya know? We're still young."

She takes the meat off the stove, and the two of us take all of our stuff over to the table, setting it. One thing we both learned in our households was you sat at the table for dinner with your family – no matter who your family is. Right now, she's my family.

"I know, our family just seems to have it so together." She sighs.

"And they're older than us. I think we're fine, trying to figure out what the hell it is we both want."

"Yeah, yeah."

We're about to sit down when there's a knock at our door. "I'll grab the door, you grab the drinks." I walk over to our steel-fortified door – thanks to the guys in the club – and turn on the camera that points into the hallway of our apartment building. When I see the person standing there, my heart does a flip.

"It's Remy!" I whisper-shout to her, as I turn around, plastering myself to the door.

"He's here?" she whisper-shout's back to me. "What's he doing here?"

"I have no idea." I'm stuck studying him as he stands outside, waiting for me to decide if I'm going to let him in or not. He must not be on his bike because he's wearing a winter coat with a pair of sweatpants. He looks just like he came back from working out.

"Well earlier you were bitching that he hadn't at least texted you. Open it up and see what he wants." She motions to the door.

I look like shit, and I'm well aware of it. My hair's up, I have on a huge pair of sweatpants, and an old shirt of Drew's that's so big you can't even tell I have tits. Sighing, I swing the door open, just as he's lifting his knuckles to knock on it again.

"Hey," he says with a smile, jerking his head to the parking lot. "I saw both yours and Addie's cars here, so I figured it'd be okay if I stopped by. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"Yeah, we're about to eat dinner." I open the door, letting him in.

"This'll only take a few minutes." He closes the door behind him, and I realize how big he's gotten, how much he's grown over the last year. His size takes up a large portion of our living room. "I talked to your dad and asked for his blessing to date you. I don't want to sneak around, I don't want to be shady about this. If we do it, I want it to be in the open, and I plan on letting people know we're together when we make that decision."

I'm speechless, because I didn't expect this from him, not even a little bit.

"So anyway." He fills the awkward silence in between us. "That's all I wanted to say. I'll let you two get back to your dinner."

Impulsively I throw out, "You wanna stay? We have enough for a third person."

"Wouldn't that be moving too fast?" His smirk hits me in the gut, and I have to fist my hands at my side not to grab for his jacket and hold him close.

"Not when you're going home right after. C'mon, Rem, have dinner with us. What? You scared of two girls?"

"Would you think less of me if I said yes?"

Addie brings some drinks to the table right then and laughs as she hears our words. Turning with a hand on her hip, she gives him a little attitude. "Nope, I'd say you're smart."

He takes off his jacket. "Smells good, and I am hungry."

"Then join us. We don't bite, promise."

He mumbles something that sounds like I don't believe you as he walks over to our table. Later on, when I look back at our relationship, I know I'll mark this as a turning point. A very good one.