Situationship [Complete]

15 | Yep

"Look at you and your energy," Dro comments while watching me finish my eighteenth pull-up.

The laugh that escapes me takes the rest of my stamina. With lackluster form, I pull out one more, then drop from the bar to my feet. "People need to stop telling me that," I say back to him.

Dro's white teeth through his smirk. "You're doing pull-ups between patients. I know you're young but something's got you going today. Your little friend still treating you well?"

Little friend? Teagan is pretty tall, but I guess parts of her are small. Her wrists, ankles, waist . . . All small enough to grip when I'm—nope. Can't think about that right now. "She is, but I'm a little pent up at the moment."

He passes me the mat and adjusts the rest of the therapy equipment between his arms. "Haven't been in it in a few days?"

My snicker is enough of an answer. As stupid as the contract is, it has me spoiled. Skipping one of our days, only to have her show up unexpectedly and tease me, left me so riled up and in my head that . . . Let's just say my sheets needed a wash this morning.

Frustrated or not, I'm in a great mood, because even if I didn't have an appointment to fuck Teagan's brains out tonight, today is one of my favorite days at work. Levi is here.

He waves at me through the glass walls of the waiting room. I wave back, a huge smile on my face. I love that kid. He's here early—a Hargrove trait—but I'm not mad about it. It sucks to only see him for an hour a month, but I'll take what I can get.

He's the closest thing I have to a little brother. Few people have the connection we do, which is good, all things considered. I'm grateful for it in a morbid way.

"You got this, right?" Dro asks me.

I look at him with surprise. He lets me fly solo often enough, but never on a case as intensive as paraplegia. I'll never back down from a challenge. "Yeah, definitely."

"Do your thing. I'll be here for support."

"Awesome. Thanks, Dro." He hands me the braces and holds out his arm. I bump the side of my forearm against his. When I turn to go to my space, a thought makes me turn right back around. "Hey," I grab his attention again. "Can you keep my sitch on the DL with this next client?"

He looks confused. "Yeah, but why? I thought this one was your bro."

"He is, but . . . He's my sneaky link's actual brother, too."

Dro stares at me for a second too long, then his deep laugh breaks the silence. "You are one crazy ass motherfucker, Heath." He keeps laughing to himself while he leaves for his desk.

I set the equipment down and go to the waiting room to grab Levi, and I'm excited as hell. It's stupid how happy his goofy ass makes me.

Levi was Teagan's shadow when we were kids, but when he met me, that changed. Like it was with her, meeting my mom made me seem safer, I think. While most people can't discern my ethnicity until they see her, knowing I'm less white than the sea of white dudes around us helps.