Echo Book 2

40. Riding

Malax loves on me half the night, and we wake up late. Tim and Zion are in the dining room with a bunch of food when we get there.

"I didn't know we had food here."

"It's from the ship. We're trying some stuff."

I sit down. "I want cereal."

Tobias comes in looking like he's about to have a breakdown. "What are we doing today?"

Malax shakes his head and walks out. "I haven't had my coffee."

Tim picks up the paper and buries his face in it. "We'll figure it out."

"I'm having cereal."

Zion glances at me over his phone. Then he looks at Tobias. "What's wrong with you?"

"She hates me." He starts sobbing.

I'm about to run for it when a brain sits cereal in front of me. "Can you put it in a bowl with some milk, please?"

"Of course."

I rub my face. "Why do you think that?"

"She doesn't want to do anything with me. She'll choose Victor to run off with her every time. She's giving him a tour of the city now. I asked her to see a movie with me later. She says the 2 of you are shopping tonight."

I put an eyebrow up.

Zion watches me then turns to Tobias. "Stop asking her out."

"I can't. She's my soulmate. I want her more than anything."

"You can still want her without asking her out. Don't ask anyone else out or try to make her jealous. But be less available. She needs space from you."

Tim nods. "Keep yourself busy. Let her work through whatever she needs."

"Yea, that worked so well for you. Asshole."

"It did. Once I figured it out. I stayed close to her but gave her space. I only showed up when I had to. I was happy when I did get to spend some time with her. Even if it was only dinner with her family. Or seeing her in a meeting."

Malax comes in with coffee. "You are jealous of Victor. You can't be like that. You're both going to end up with her. She's connecting with him first. I understand it sucks but..."

"You don't understand shit." Tobias shakes his head. "You had your mate from the beginning."

"And I had to watch my mate fall in love with someone else. It takes a lot of patience. I had to back off and watch Tim spend time with her. I knew she wasn't leaving me. She's going to love us both. It's still hard to watch though. Then I had to help her through the problems they had together. That was different. I saw how much he cared about her. I knew he was her mate. I wasn't going to try to ruin that for either of them. Before that, I had no idea what a soulmate was. All I knew was I wanted to marry that woman. I love her more than anything. Then some asshole shows up and tries to claim her right in front of me. That scared me to death. I thought I was losing her."

Tim sighs. "I thought she was going to pick him and he wasn't her soulmate. It was horrible. I had to fight for every minute I saw her, and she was so scared."

I kiss Tim on the head. "You're all mine. Fights over."

"You're mine, woman."

I snuggle him and smile. "I'm the biggest i***t and the worst friend."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am." I grab my phone. "She's lost and confused. Scared. And instead of being all up in her business like I'm supposed to be. I am completely focused on you boys and letting her sort it out alone. She needs me." I text Eriska. -What you doing? Want to hang out?-

-I'm showing Victor around town. Come with us.-

-I don't want to intrude on a date.-

-It's not a date. We're just hanging out. He has to go to Phade soon anyway.-

I show the phone to Malax. He puts an eyebrow up. "That's not right."

"What?" Tobias tries to tackle my phone.

"GO TO WORK. YOU DON'T GET TO SEE HER PRIVATE MESSAGES TO ME."

"YOU SHOWED HIM."

"HE'S MY MATE." -Where can I meet you?-

-Mall. Be in the suppra. There are a lot of people here.-

Malax shakes his head. "It wasn't anything about you."

I get in my suppra that doesn't look like me and go back in the dining room. The boys are laughing their asses off.

"What's funny?"

Zion rubs his eyes. "My girlfriend asked where I was. I told her I stayed the night at your house. I really should have said Malax's house."

I shake my head. "I ain't helping you out of that. That's funny. I need money. I'm going to the mall now."

Malax hands me his credit card. "Have fun, baby."

I jump up and down and kiss his head. "I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU."

Zion laughs. "I'm pretty sure she's talking to the credit card."

Malax nods. "I know she is. Don't make us poor, babygirl."

"Zion, text me your number. I'll text you my plan once I have it."

Tim puts down the paper and gives Zion my number. "It's best not to ask questions about teenage girl drama."

Malax refills his coffee. "It's considered throne work now."

My phone goes off and I run for it.

I park behind the mall and there are a bunch of boys playing on skateboards with girls watching them.

-Do you ride skateboards?-

-Yea.-

-Tell Malax to give you money for skateboards and show Tobias how. Me and Eriska will accidentally run into you in an hour behind the mall.-

-Laughing faces... Ok.-

I find Eriska and Victor in the arcade. They're challenging each other in a game. He lets her win. That's easy to see.

I sit in the game beside them. "I got Malax's credit card for shopping."

She jumps up and down. "Let's go."

Victor laughs. "I need to go in now. Malax is blowing up my phone. You have fun."

"We will." Eriska grabs my arm and drags me out. He goes the other way.

"You didn't even kiss him goodbye?" I scratch my head.

"We haven't kissed."

"You should probably kiss him."

"He's so fun. I don't want to ruin what we have." We go into a store, and she holds the first dress up to herself.

"He's your mate."

She shrugs her shoulders. "We can be friends and build things slowly."

"Yea, but not that damn slow. How are things with Tobias?" I put sunglasses on.

"I know he wants a relationship, but I don't know how to do that. He doesn't want to hang out as friends."

"He's not your friend. He's your mate. Mate first."

"I've never had a boyfriend. You know that. Now, I'm supposed to have 2 of them. I don't even know them. Tobias wants more physical stuff. Victor is happy playing games at the arcade."

"I'm sure Tobias would like to hang out too." I pay for our stuff, and we go into the next store.

"Yea, but he touches me and tells me I'm pretty. All in my space."

"So, you friend zoned Victor and are scared of Tobias because you know he's real."

"Kind of. I do like him, but I don't know what to do. He's ready for everything and I would like to hold his hand." She sighs and checks out a purse.

"Hold his hand." I grab the black purse before she can.

"He would get all clingy and try to go further. I'm not ready for that." She yanks it away from me. "Oh, this is stupid. It doesn't even zip." She throws it back on the shelf.

"Victor doesn't try to do physical stuff with you?"

"Not really. I told him I've never done anything. He's ok getting to know each other for now. He's waiting until I'm ready. We are more friends, I guess. But I like that. I like making a friendship with him."

-We're outside the back doors.-

"Friendship isn't bad. I consider Tim and Malax friends. But they are my mates first."

"What did they say when you said you were coming to the mall?"

"Have fun. Malax gave me his credit card. They were going to work." I guide us toward the doors.

"So, they don't want to hang out with you at the mall?"

"Doubt it. They would though. We could have fun. Hanging out with a bunch of teenagers isn't something they look forward to. It would be better 1 on 1. I want to put the bags in my car." We go out the back door.

Zion and Tobias ride up to us on motorcycles. I shake my head.

Zion smirks and shuts it off. "Tobias and I were riding. I showed him a couple of good spots."

Tobias smiles. "You have good roads here. Not used to riding this smoothly. So, is this the mall?"

Zion nods. "Nice parking lot and always a bunch of girls back here that like watching stunts. Usually some will ask for a ride."

Tobias smiles at Eriska. "You want to go for a ride?"

She grabs my arm and drags me back 4 steps. "That's dangerous."

"Yes, very. We can't do that."

Zion shakes his head. "It's not dangerous. We've been riding for years. Come for a ride." He winks at me.

"No way in hell I'm getting on that thing. People die on those."

Tobias laughs. "You're a suppra."

"I'm speaking for Eriska."

They laugh, and some girls walk over. "We'll ride with you." One of them walks over to Tobias. I can only watch as Eriska picks her up and slams her to the ground.

I crack up laughing.

She gives me a dirty look. "You could have stepped in."

"I am not killing that poor girl for thinking your boyfriend is sexy."

Zion smirks. "Come on, suppra. Be my backpack."

"I guess. Let me put this stuff in my car."

"I'm not a suppra."

"I won't let you get hurt." Tobias winks at her.

"Fine. But only around the parking lot."

I put our stuff in the car and poke Zion in the ribs as I get on with him. "I remember saying skateboard."

"This was better. The look on your face was worth seeing."

"You know what you're doing?"

"Yea, I've rode for years. You're fine."

We get to the stoplight leaving the parking lot and I have a death grip on him. Eriska has the same grip right beside us.

He rubs my knee. "Relax. You're fine. You will break my bones if you hold on much tighter though."

"Sorry. I'm trying."

"I know. You're doing good. When I put the brake on, put your hands on the tank here."

"Ok."

An hour later, we're at another stoplight. I massage his shoulders and bop around to the music.

Eriska laughs. "You're supposed to hold on. You made her to relaxed."

Zion smirks. "She's fine. I'm enjoying this massage."

I shake my head. "What do you want me to do with my hands? I can either feel him up or rub his back. These are my only options."

They crack up laughing.

At the next stoplight, Eriska starts rubbing Tobias's shoulders. He relaxes and rubs her leg.

"YOU WHORE." Someone pulls me off the back of the bike. "GET AWAY FROM MY BOYFRIEND."

"DON'T." Eriska shoves her into the car stopped behind us. "SHE WILL KILL YOU. YOU DUMB BITCH."

"I'm going home." I turn into the dragon and fly. I'm honestly impressed that it worked. I had no idea it would in the suppra. I can't believe she did that. I don't think I was doing anything wrong. Maybe I did. I knew he had a girlfriend. I got on the bike. I wasn't trying anything though. I get almost all the way home and realize I left my car at the mall. I turn around and go back.