The Heart System Chapter 767

I clinked my beer bottle against Tuck’s, and we both took a sip before leaning back into the couch. I stretched my legs forward and rested my feet on the coffee table, enjoying the quiet for the first time in what felt like forever.

Tuck immediately reached over and pushed my legs away.

"Hey, man. We eat there."

I looked down at the table, then back at him. "Fine, fine. I forgot."

"You always forget."

"Because I’m comfortable."

"That’s not an excuse."

"It is when it works."

He shook his head with a small laugh and grabbed his cigarette packet from his pocket. He pulled one out, placed it between his lips, and lit it before taking a long drag. After a few seconds, he held the packet toward me.

"You want one?"

I shook my head. "Sorry. Three times a day."

Tuck looked at me like I had just said something unbelievable.

"You? Three times a day? Since when?"

"Since I’m trying to quit."

He stared at me for a moment before taking another drag. Well, I couldn’t tell him about Jasmine and the others wanting me to quit smoking. Though, with this three-times-a-day rule, I’d say I was able to sleep more comfortably at night. That, or I was getting dead tired before hitting the hay. Either way, I couldn’t complain. It was good for my wallet, too.

"Good call."

"Yeah, yeah. Trying to be healthier." I said. "Helps me sleep well, too. Incredible, huh?"

"Never thought I’d hear that from you."

"Shut up."

The sound of footsteps came from the hallway, and both of us looked over. Mel walked into the living room carrying the Xbox box with both hands. She looked proud of herself, even though the box was clearly a little heavy for her.

"Thank you, Uncle Evan!" she said.

I smiled at her. "No problem, kid. Play it all you want."

"When you finish your homeworks and other stuff." Tuck added.

"Right. Play it all you want unless you listen to your brother."

"Yes, yes..." Mel muttered.

She placed the box near the television and immediately started setting everything up. Tuck stayed quiet while watching her, his cigarette slowly burning between his fingers.

I looked at him for a moment. The guy had spent the entire day acting like he didn’t care, pretending he was ready to throw everything away because of his pride. But now he was sitting there watching his little sister set up a new Xbox like nothing else mattered.

Once Mel finished connecting everything, Tuck finally spoke.

"Mel."

She turned around. "Yeah?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I’m sorry."

She blinked. "For what?"

"For what happened."

Mel looked at him for a few seconds before shrugging. "Well, it was definitely an experience."

Tuck frowned slightly.

"But please don’t do something like that again, okay?"

He nodded.

"If there’s ever a next time, just apologize."

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing, and Tuck looked at me. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You’re laughing."

"I’m just saying she’s smarter than you."

"You wanna eat a knuckle sandwich, you idiot?"

Mel smiled and turned back toward the television while Tuck shook his head. For once, things felt normal.

My phone suddenly rang from my pocket, and I pulled it out to check who was calling.

Esme.

I frowned slightly. It was unusual for her to call me this late. "I gotta take this," I said, standing up. "It’s from work."

Tuck smirked. "Look at you. Businessman Evan. Too busy for us normal people."

"Ah, shut up."

"Uh-uh. Businessman Evan. Can’t talk while we’re around."

I walked into the kitchen and answered the call. "Esme?"

At first, there was no response. Then I heard a quiet sob. My expression immediately changed. Was she... in danger or something? I also remembered her calling me earlier that night. Shit, something had to be wrong.

"Esme?"

"E-Evan?"

Her voice sounded shaky, completely different from how she normally spoke.

"Are you crying?"

I heard her take a shaky breath. "Can you come and help me?"

I grabbed the edge of the counter. "Esme, where are you?"

"I’ll send you a location."

"Okay, but can you tell me what happened? Why are you crying?"

"P-please..."

The call ended before I could ask anything else.

I lowered my phone slowly and stared at the screen. Esme was not someone who usually sounded helpless, and whatever happened had clearly scared her enough that she could barely explain it.

When I walked back into the living room, Tuck immediately noticed my expression.

"Yo, what happened?"

I placed my beer on the counter. "Something’s wrong."

He looked at me carefully. "You got pale like a ghost, man."

"I’m fine. I’m fine," I said, even though I knew I probably didn’t look fine. "But I need to go."

Mel looked away from the television. "Uncle Evan?"

I turned toward her.

"We were going to play that co-op game together."

I felt a little guilty. She had been through enough today, and I really did want to spend more time with her. But this wasn’t something I could ignore. I had to see what was up with Esme.

"Sorry, honey. Something urgent came up. We’ll play next time, alright?"

She looked disappointed but nodded.

"Okay... I’ll walk you to the door, then, uncle Evan."

"No need, honey." I said, already walking toward the door. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"If something happens, call me." Tuck added.

"I will. Thanks."

Before I could say anything else, my phone buzzed again. Esme had sent the location she mentioned during the call, and I opened the message to check where she was. I still had no idea what happened or why she sounded so desperate, but I knew I couldn’t ignore it.

"Just what the fuck happened?"

I quickly left the house and got back to my car. While I was fastening my seatbelt, I called Cora and wedged the phone between my ear and shoulder.

"Pick up, pick up..."

No answer. Guess her sister was busy.

"Fuck... just a moment’s rest. Is that too much?"

It was... strange that the quest hadn’t completed. Where was my 45k EXP?

⟁ ⟁ ⟁