Ruin

56

LUCAS P. O. V
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Wednesday: 5:30 P. M.
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I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket, as I fasten the last button on my shirt.

I try not to focus on it since I can't answer it here.

Not with Amanda only a few feet away, anyways.

After a while, the ringing stops, and I relax.

"Yuh soon ready?" I ask the woman, across from me, who's busy applying her makeup.

She looks away from the mirror and smiles at me before saying, "Yeah. About 20 more minutes."

The reservation is at 7:30 P. M., so that should give us enough time to get there.

And me enough time to take this call.

"OK, cool," I say, smoothing down the front of my shirt.

"You look nice," Amanda says, still smiling at me.

"Like smaddy weh bathe," she adds.

My head snaps to her, although I can see her clearly through the mirror. "Oi! Watch yuhself!"

This makes her laugh.

I look at myself in the mirror again. I do look nice, I guess. I've always liked this shirt. It was the most comfy button-down I owned. And the fact that its crisp white colour is still as crisp as the day I bought it --thanks to Ms. Lorna's washing skills--makes it pop against my skin.

I leave the two top buttons undone, showing off the tip of my tattoos.

Amanda adjusts the hem of the towel she has wrapped around her body, and I stare at her bare thigh.

Even in something as simple as a bath towel she still looks effortlessly sexy.

She knows it too.

That's why she full a so much chat...

The phone starts vibrating again, pulling me away from my thoughts.

"You OK?" Amanda asks, looking at me through the mirror.

"Yeah," I say, fixing the frown on my lips into a small smile. "Beg yuh a second deh. Ago get some water fi drink."

She nods, putting lipstick on.

"OK," she says, smacking her lips together.

Without another word, I turn and hurry down the stairs.

The ringing stops as I reach the kitchen, and I pull out the phone from the pocket of my jeans and look at the caller ID.

My heart skips a beat as I see who it is.

Issa lucky thing mi never answer this up deh so.

After pressing the 'call back' button, I place the device at my ear and wait for the line to connect.

"Indian."

"Yo, mi G!" I say, acknowledging Deacon.

"Weh yawh deal wid? How things?" he responds.

I can hear faint music playing in the background.

"Mi deh yah, man," I answer, bringing the mic to my lips so that I don't have to raise my voice. "Yuh did a shout mi?"

"Yeah, man. A mi did a link yuh."

I keep my gaze focused on the stairs. "A wah gwaan?"

"Wait deh make mi move from yasso," he says before I hear shuffling in the background.