From the Ashes by Daisy Harris Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Daisy Harris
gave the air a subtle fist pump, but he kept his voice casual. “Yeah, sure. I’m serious, man. As long as you want.”
A half hour later, Tomas pulled in front of a University District coffee shop—the type of hole-in-the-wall that only had four tables.
“Hey. Thanks for driving up here. I could have taken the bus.” Jesse smiled nervously. He threw a few shopping bags into the space behind the seats.
“Don’t worry about it.” Tomas drew away from the curb and halfway into the lane where rush-hour traffic was backed up to the light. “So, looks like you got some clothes. Any luck with a place to stay?” Tomas figured he might as well hear about the competition right off the bat.
“Nah.” Jesse messed with some papers from his backpack. He leafed through, forehead creased between his eyebrows. “It might be a while before I have the cash for a deposit on a place that takes pets.”
“That’s too bad,” Tomas said, though he felt like the answer was the best thing he’d heard all day.
“I know this may be too much to ask, but—I could pay if you wanted. I’d stay on the couch. I feel really bad for making you do that last night.”
“Hey.” Tomas rubbed Jesse’s arm. He wanted to hold Jesse’s hand, but that would have felt too pushy. “I told you you’re welcome to stay. I meant it.” He wanted more time, and lots of it. Time to get to know one another.
“Well, I’d really feel better if I could pay some kind of rent. Like, for a week or two?”
Tomas hummed his agreement. Two weeks with Jesse at his house? Hell yeah. “That would be fine. My parents charge me four hundred a month. So you’d pay two hundred, but for a couple weeks—”
“You pay four hundred a month?” Jesse’s eyes bugged wide. “Crap, even a tiny room in a group house in Seattle would run me five.”
“No kidding.” Tomas grinned. “Why do you think I live in SeaTac?” He pulled onto the highway to join the traffic creeping its way over the Ship Canal Bridge.
“I see your point.” Jesse’s gaze fell back to the papers on his lap, and he frowned. “If I can find a second job in the next couple weeks, I’ll be set to drop out and have the cash to rent a new place.”
Tomas clicked his turn signal and switched lanes. “You’re dropping out?”
“For this quarter, yeah.” Jesse shoved the papers back in the bag. “I’ve already started all my classes, so I can’t get any money back. I just hope they accept my appeal so I can get financial aid for next quarter.”
“They’re not giving you any money back?”
“No.” Hands in tight fists in his lap, Jesse fixed his gaze out the window. “The most I can hope for at this point is they’ll let me apply for more aid.”
If Tomas hadn’t been on the highway, he would have pulled over. As it was, he settled for slapping the steering wheel. “How much did you spend on classes?”
Jesse shrank in his seat, crossing his arms. “It’s none of your business.”
Tomas darted him an angry look. “Well, I’m sure it’s thousands. You’re going to just, what? Walk away from that? With nothing?”
“What in the fuck?” Jesse lashed out. “What do you care what I do?”
“I just don’t understand.” Tomas tried to get his head into a place where he wasn’t seeing red. It was one thing to lose money when you had no choice. The house fire hadn’t been under Jesse’s control. But Tomas’s parents wouldn’t have gotten far in America if they hadn’t accepted help from friends and family, and they certainly hadn’t gone from being broke immigrants to owning their own home by throwing money away. “Why don’t you stay with me instead? You don’t need to find another place.”
“I don’t even know you.” Jesse leaned against the door as if Tomas was forcing him into a corner. With a frown, he added, “And, anyway, I don’t want to live in the suburbs.”
There was a pause when Tomas would have told Jesse how ridiculous and
A half hour later, Tomas pulled in front of a University District coffee shop—the type of hole-in-the-wall that only had four tables.
“Hey. Thanks for driving up here. I could have taken the bus.” Jesse smiled nervously. He threw a few shopping bags into the space behind the seats.
“Don’t worry about it.” Tomas drew away from the curb and halfway into the lane where rush-hour traffic was backed up to the light. “So, looks like you got some clothes. Any luck with a place to stay?” Tomas figured he might as well hear about the competition right off the bat.
“Nah.” Jesse messed with some papers from his backpack. He leafed through, forehead creased between his eyebrows. “It might be a while before I have the cash for a deposit on a place that takes pets.”
“That’s too bad,” Tomas said, though he felt like the answer was the best thing he’d heard all day.
“I know this may be too much to ask, but—I could pay if you wanted. I’d stay on the couch. I feel really bad for making you do that last night.”
“Hey.” Tomas rubbed Jesse’s arm. He wanted to hold Jesse’s hand, but that would have felt too pushy. “I told you you’re welcome to stay. I meant it.” He wanted more time, and lots of it. Time to get to know one another.
“Well, I’d really feel better if I could pay some kind of rent. Like, for a week or two?”
Tomas hummed his agreement. Two weeks with Jesse at his house? Hell yeah. “That would be fine. My parents charge me four hundred a month. So you’d pay two hundred, but for a couple weeks—”
“You pay four hundred a month?” Jesse’s eyes bugged wide. “Crap, even a tiny room in a group house in Seattle would run me five.”
“No kidding.” Tomas grinned. “Why do you think I live in SeaTac?” He pulled onto the highway to join the traffic creeping its way over the Ship Canal Bridge.
“I see your point.” Jesse’s gaze fell back to the papers on his lap, and he frowned. “If I can find a second job in the next couple weeks, I’ll be set to drop out and have the cash to rent a new place.”
Tomas clicked his turn signal and switched lanes. “You’re dropping out?”
“For this quarter, yeah.” Jesse shoved the papers back in the bag. “I’ve already started all my classes, so I can’t get any money back. I just hope they accept my appeal so I can get financial aid for next quarter.”
“They’re not giving you any money back?”
“No.” Hands in tight fists in his lap, Jesse fixed his gaze out the window. “The most I can hope for at this point is they’ll let me apply for more aid.”
If Tomas hadn’t been on the highway, he would have pulled over. As it was, he settled for slapping the steering wheel. “How much did you spend on classes?”
Jesse shrank in his seat, crossing his arms. “It’s none of your business.”
Tomas darted him an angry look. “Well, I’m sure it’s thousands. You’re going to just, what? Walk away from that? With nothing?”
“What in the fuck?” Jesse lashed out. “What do you care what I do?”
“I just don’t understand.” Tomas tried to get his head into a place where he wasn’t seeing red. It was one thing to lose money when you had no choice. The house fire hadn’t been under Jesse’s control. But Tomas’s parents wouldn’t have gotten far in America if they hadn’t accepted help from friends and family, and they certainly hadn’t gone from being broke immigrants to owning their own home by throwing money away. “Why don’t you stay with me instead? You don’t need to find another place.”
“I don’t even know you.” Jesse leaned against the door as if Tomas was forcing him into a corner. With a frown, he added, “And, anyway, I don’t want to live in the suburbs.”
There was a pause when Tomas would have told Jesse how ridiculous and