Page 5 of Made for Mayhem

She grinned, the look so natural on her face I couldn’t help but stare. “Thank you. I always dreamed of moving here, but I am very afraid to admit I already regret it.”

This time it was my turn to arch a brow as we stopped at another crosswalk. A gust off the lake cut down the street, rattling the banners overhead and carrying the smell of exhaust and chili dogs from a cart farther down the block.

“Already?” I asked, glancing at her. “That didn’t take long.”

She laughed, but it came out a little breathless. “I know. It’s dramatic. I’ve been here for maybe six hours.”

“Dangerous amount of time. Long enough to panic. Not long enough to know anything.”

“Exactly. I haven’t even met my Craigslist roommate yet.”

I stared down at her, disbelief obvious on my face.

She held a hand up, then started walking again when the light turned. “I know, I know. Dumb decision. It was impulsive, and the pictures looked nice, and I didn’t do no research like Vi assumed.” She turned around, walking backward one step in front of me once we’d crossed the street. “That’s my older sister. Much more responsible than me. Worthy of robbing, probably.”

Again I grinned, unable to remember the last time I’d smiled this much in a single day. “Noted.”

“I did research, kind of, and a friend of a friend of a friend vouched for this new roomie, so I don’t think I’m moving in with a serial killer? But it wasn’t until I got here and put my bags in the closet of a room that I realized what I was doing. So I ran.”

I nodded, understanding that feeling all too well. “And got on the wrong train.”

“And got on the wrong train.” She waved an arm in front of us, gesturing at the steam rising from the manholes, a rat scurrying along a brick wall, and the garbage overflowing out of the trash can. “Taking in the beautiful sights Chicago has in store for me. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

I brushed at my beard to hide my smile. “Okay, yeah. Maybe this part’s not selling it.”

She glanced over, hopeful. “But there’s a better part. Right?”

“There is,” I said without hesitation. “I promise.”

That earned me her full attention.

“Once you’re past the chaos, it’s nice,” I said. “Uptown is a little eclectic. You can see the historic bones of the city there, but it’s a mashup of old theaters, late-night diners, music spilling out of bars, and lake access that’s more low-key.”

Her steps slowed a little as she listened. “Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

“The city grows on you.”

We stopped near a train entrance, the familiar rumble echoing up from below. I nodded toward the stairs, already dreading the idea of letting her go. “Blue Line will get you downtown. Then you can catch the Red north from there.”

“Thank you.” She pulled her sleeves down over her hands, looking from the stairwell and back to me. “For not robbing me. And for walking me this far.”

“Anytime.”

She didn’t know that this little walk had been exactly what I needed to pull myself out of a negative spiral. How badly I’d needed the quiet, anonymous companionship.

Daisy didn’t move right away. Neither did I.

The train rumbled somewhere below us, the sound rising through the grate like a reminder, but we stood there a beat too long, caught in the space between going and staying.

She took two steps toward the entrance, then stopped and turned back toward me. “Truth or dare?”

I blinked, not at all expecting that. “What?”

She grimaced, her nose scrunching up in a way that was decidedly cute, then looked away. “Sorry. I’m panicking about going home again. And that sounded a lot smoother in my head.”

I followed her gaze to the stairwell, the Blue Line sign glowing above us, ready to take her out of my night. Back to whatever waited for her beyond this corner. This was where it ended, where I went back to my own spiral, with my own uncertain future yawning before me.

“I shouldn’t have said anything. I’ll just⁠—”