I Can't Love You✔

Ray of Hope {26}

"So you hooking up with someone?" Dameon jogs a bit in front of me and spins around to block me. He keeps the lighthearted look on his face, but his words come out pushy.

What the hell has gotten into him? I mean, Dameon is weird as fuck, on a normal day, but this is extra even for him.

"Why the hell do you want to know?" I sidestep him, but he only matches it and starts walking backward.

"I'm just curious." He shrugs, but he doesn't let it go. "So are you? Are you hooking up with some chick?"

"Yeah." I lie just to get him off my back. Maybe if he thinks I have someone to meet up with, he'll get the hell out of my way.

Dameon stops in his tracks and frowns. It doesn't suit him, the serious scowl. It's almost unnerving to see him that way.

"What?" I chuckle and step around him, more determined to get to my bike with each passing second. "You got a problem with me banging some random chick?"

"No."

The disappointment in his voice makes me jerk my head around and stare at him.

His hands are stuffed in his jean pockets as he turns on his heels. "Have fun with you fling."

If it weren't for the fact that I have Ollie waiting on me, I'd chase the demon down and see what the hell his problem is.

I do have Ollie waiting, though, and right now, she trumps him. With a shake of my head, I turn back to my bike and head home. As soon as I get through the door, I throw my jacket up on a hook and head to my bedroom. My phone is a little low on power, so I wake my laptop up and call Ollie. The anticipation of whether she's going to pick up or not has me reeling.

The second the connect sound rings out, I snatch my desk chair out and slide in just as her bright face appears on my screen. The blue light from her phone illuminates her face and causes a halo effect around her wild hair. Wherever she is, it's dark, and she's alone sitting on what looks like a couch with that bat I won for her tucked under her chin.

The bat hardly looks new anymore, one of the ears looks worn down, and he's a bit limper than what he used to be. He's showing heavy signs of love.

A smile spreads across my face. "Hey, Sunshine." My stomach is a bundle of nerves, but I push it all down, trying to stay cool.

Ollie hugs her bat a little tighter and smiles into his plush fur. "Hey." Her voice is muffled from her plushie

"Looks like you made it to your uncle's?" I can't see what's actually around her, but since she's gone to visit her Uncle Colt and Grandma, I can only assume she's at his place. Her grandma, though a feisty old bird from what I've been told, is stuck in a nursing home and can't accommodate guests.

Ollie props her chin back on top of the bat's head and nods. "Yeah, we got in just before dinner. Dad wanted to leave right after school got out but a few things tied us up."

I nod as my gaze slowly falls to her smooth bare shoulders, what I would give to mark that gorgeous skin.

"What are you looking at?" Ollie glances behind her before her gaze returns to the phone.

I realized I was just staring and try to quickly recover. "Just the couch. Are you up alone?"

"Sort of. I'm on the pull-out couch. Dad and I flipped a coin for the spare bed and I lost." Her lower lip pokes out in a little pout, making me wish I was there so I could nip it.

Soon. Soon I'll make her mine as soon as she gets back to town.

"Dad and Uncle Colt annoyed the shit out of each other, and both retreated to their rooms. About twenty-minutes ago a symphony started."