Invited

Forty-One - Chevelle

Time dragged, which sucked given the fact that the ship had no clocks. I had work to do but couldn't focus. Worry consumed me. My brother was adjusting a little too well to the point where it freaked me out – kind of like Lara had. My parents on the other hand were not doing so well, and were at each other's throat on a regular basis. Timber devoted ever spare second of his time in figuring out ways to get Talia back. Guy was making himself crazy. One of the plans involved making his own ship out of recycled metal that he was somehow going to get, meld, and add functioning parts to from the Pit.

I took that plan and ripped it from his notebook and tossed it in the trash. He didn't like it much, but it was for his own good.

Then, of course, there was Nate. He was even harder to deal with because he was so freaking annoying. Not only did he start taking on the Susie Homemaker roles, but he did it with attitude. When Timber had been scary perfect and overly helpful, he did it quietly and without expecting anything in return. Not Nathan. He made sure to boast about his efforts and demand gratitude. Pretty sure he was this close to making me kiss his feet. Arrogant much? I didn't ask him to start cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the apartment. In fact, I was doing a fine job of that on my own whenever he'd let me.

What bothered me the most was I didn't know why he was doing it. Timber did it to be useful and to distract himself. I got different vibes from Nate. I got peacock vibes. He was trying to impress me. Why that was, I didn't know. Maybe because he didn't want me to kick him out of the apartment. Or maybe he was hoping I would give him a stamp of approval if any of his dates happened to ask.

Yes, dates. The guy was already going on dates with different women. There was always a new one every night. Four dates over the period of four evenings. He came home afterward, so I'm not sure how in-depth these dates were getting either. I don't even know why he was going out to begin with. Something to do? Getting ready to find himself someone to settle down with? Or was he looking for someone or something to drown his own sorrow in? Either way, it wasn't my business. He seemed to think I cared.

"Gonna be late again," he said, heading to the balcony. He always left when Lara was in bed.

Timber gave a nod and poured over some notes from a notebook, only half paying attention.

I shrugged from the couch. "Okay, then. Have fun?"

The devilish grin on Nathan's face suggested he probably would.

"Don't want to know," I mumbled. I briefly risked a glance at Timber. His head rested on the table, hidden in his arms. The guy looked exhausted. "You okay over there?"

"Define 'okay.'"

A straight answer, I was impressed. Usually, he lied and said he was "fine," like a girl, or dodged around the subject so he didn't have to actually say how he felt.

I tapped my chin, thinking. "You're not about to have a mental breakdown."

"Then yes, I'm okay," he said softly. "Not stellar, but okay. Just having a hard time figuring all of this out."

"I don't want to be the bringer of bad news, but you might not be able to figure it out." And that was one of the hardest things I ever had to admit. It sounded so much like giving up, and if I gave up hope, then that meant I was admitting defeat.

With a sigh, he lifted his gaze to meet mine. Once upon a time, I might have swooned, but I'd grown past that stage a while ago. "I know. I'm probably not going to figure it out, no matter how badly I want to. But it makes me feel better to chase these pipe dreams, to pretend I can do something even though I'm helpless. I used to be the guy that had all of the answers. Now I'm just...I'm just here."