Guilty (A Ghost Bird FanFiction)

6. The Fate of Moby

Sang

A heavy ball of fur pounced on my stomach, and I cracked open an eyelid to find Hobbes hovering over me. "Is it time?" I murmured. As if in answer he started licking my face, and I pet him haphazardly as I got up, glancing at the clock as I headed into the bathroom. It was still pretty early, so I tried my best to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake Luke.

I sighed, thinking about the moment we'd shared last night. How close we'd been. And while part of me had been relieved when he'd taken that step back, another part wondered what would've happened if he hadn't. Would he have kissed me?

Because there was no point in denying it any longer. I wanted him to.

The rest of the night had remained in the casual buddy zone we'd started things in though, which was probably for the best right now. I mean, I didn't even know what I was doing anyway. I'd kissed a total of two guys in my entire life, and I hadn't exactly gotten feedback afterward.

I rinsed my hands and swept yesterday's mascara from underneath my eyes before I padded back into the bedroom. Hobbes was waiting patiently by the door, and I risked a glance at Luke to find that not only was he still asleep, but he was shirtless. I studied him unabashedly as I slipped on my sandals, distracted by how tan he was already, how perfectly broad his shoulders were.

My eyes slowly traveled over him and I paused, noticing a tiny smile on his face. Was he dreaming?

"You're making me nervous," he said softly. I blushed furiously as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I dropped my gaze, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Where're you going?" he murmured.

"Hobbes needs to go out," I explained, hoping he forgot about my faux pas quickly. Immediately. "I'll be right back."

"Oh, I can take him," he offered, and I shook my head.

"No it's ok," I replied. "It'll help wake me up."

"Alright. I'll wrangle us up some breakfast then," he said, standing, providing me with an even clearer view of his abs. I looked away, snatching up Hobbes's leash. "I think there's a buffet or something downstairs."

"Sounds good," I said, risking a glance back. I was relieved to see him throw on a t-shirt, if only so I could think straight. "I never would've even thought of that," I added, clipping Hobbes into his leash.

He grinned. "Eating breakfast? Don't worry, I'll never let you forget. You can trust me when it comes to meals."

"Aye aye, captain," I said with a mock salute, smirking.

He laughed, his phone suddenly buzzing loudly on the nightstand. "It's Eli," he said, answering. "Hey, what's up?" I hesitated by the door with Hobbes, curious. Luke's face brightened. "That's great. Yeah, she's going to flip. Tell Reed I owe him a couple favors." He chuckled. "Yes, two. It was a rush job, so." I waited until he hung up and he glanced over at me, smiling. "It's official," he declared. "Moby's going to be ok."

"He is? Really?" I'd already prepared myself to face a reality where Moby was headed for the big car lot in the sky, but it looked like he was getting a second chance thanks to Luke's friend. "That's amazing! Does he know when it will be ready?"

"Not for a little while, but Eli offered to pick us up when it is."

I grinned. "We'll make it, then."

His brows furrowed. "Make what?"

"Make it to Columbia on time," I replied, relieved. "So you won't be late meeting up with your friends." I wished we wouldn't be splitting up, but I had to be practical about this. Right?

His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Right. Of course. Yeah, we'll both make it."

I left to walk Hobbes soon after, an unsettling feeling churning in my stomach that lasted until Eli picked us up later that morning. And what was worse was that part of me knew it wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

***

"Yep, he's running just fine," Eli's friend Reed was saying as I looked Moby over. "There was a leak in the fuel tank, so after patching that and a couple other little things up—"

"Little things?"

"Mostly aesthetic, nothing to worry about," he dismissed. He seemed to be a bit older, like Eli, but while Eli was honey blond, Reed had dark hair and a thick beard lining his jaw. "He's been through a lot, huh?" he asked.

I smiled. "Just about everything."

"Think he can handle a trip to South Carolina and then back to PA?" Luke asked, studying the car critically before glancing over at Reed.

"I'll say yes," Reed hedged, absently wiping his hands on a rag he'd had tucked in his back pocket. "He's as good as he can be right now," he said honestly. "He'll be able to make the trip, but he's not going to last too much longer. That patch is only temporary."

There it was. The harsh truth. Moby needed some serious maintenance, and I wasn't sure if I could afford an expense like that on my paycheck from Has Bean.

"It'll work out," Eli offered, his smile more optimistic than I felt, but he was right. There wasn't much I could do about it now.

I nodded before turning to Reed. "Thank you so much by the way," I said, meeting his piercing gaze. "I'm sorry it was so last minute, and Moby's obviously an older model..."

Reed's grin softened his face. "Anything for a friend of Luke's," he said sincerely.

Friend of Luke?  I glanced at Luke, finding him deep in conversation with Eli. "Is um, that what he said?" I asked.

Reed nodded. "I hope you make it in time to see your family."

"When I do, it's because of you all," I managed. "How much do I owe you by the way?" 

I was reaching for my checkbook when he shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry about it. Luke just owes us a couple favors now. It's fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Reed nodded. "Absolutely. I've thought about having him do my laundry, but I'm not sure if he knows how..."

"I heard that," Luke said, appearing behind him. Reed laughed, and I couldn't help shaking my head at the pair of them. They ribbed each other a bit more and then Luke turned, beaming at me. "You ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, we probably should before Hobbes finds a new home," I replied, catching him trying to burrow into a spare tire. After corralling Hobbes into the backseat I shared another goodbye with Eli and Reed, grateful, and then we were off.