Page 24 of Close Quarters

“Pervert.”

“Just horny.”

“Fuck me.”

“I mean?—”

“Stop!”

I chuckled, sensing I was dangerously close to his limit. That was at least one good thing I’d gained from living with him for a couple of weeks. It wasn’t like it was hard to irritate or piss him off, but the real trick was learning when I might be pushing him too far. So far, I hadn’t actually gone that far, but there had been a few moments when I thought I was dangerously close.

And well…maybe, just maybe, I was getting a little amusement out of constantly poking him. A good idea? Probably not, but I dared anyone to deal with him as much as I did and not be tempted to poke the bear. It wasn’t even that he made it too easy, which he did. Eh, it was just enjoyable because he could get so mad without actually doing anything, and it made me feel a little better, getting some of my aggression out by teasing him.

Or maybe he was right, and deep down, I just wanted to be annoying.

The thought made me grimace, a lifetime of shame and guilt catching in my thoughts. I had to admit that he didn’t necessarily welcome someone treating him with compassion or kindness, but that didn’t mean I had to take every opportunity to poke and prod at his nerves, either. Which would be an impactful thought if I hadn’t already told myself that a dozen times in the past couple of weeks.

Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to at least try. “So…what are we doing today?”

“What?” he called from the bathroom irritably.

“What are we doing today?” I called back, rolling my eyes because it wasn’t like he could see me while he hurriedly got dressed. “You know, because we’re being forced to glue ourselves to one another by the highest of powers, remember?”

“I don’t know who told you being sarcastic counted as funny or cute, but you need to stop listening,” Reno grumbled as he walked out of the bathroom. And if there was a slight twinge of disappointment that he had covered himself up, then it was so small I could ignore it and pretend it had never existed.

“My mommy told me I'm very special,” I said with a wide grin that was nowhere near genuine.

“Did she really?” he asked doubtfully.

I was surprised he didn’t take the opportunity to mock me or throw out some witty insult that led me to answer, “No, she died when I was seven.”

“Oh…Dad?”

“Technically alive, but he all but died when she did.”

“Huh?”

I shrugged, already wishing I’d kept my mouth shut. “He went to work, paid the bills, made sure there was something resembling food in the house, and always kept a stock of beer. And if I was lucky, he would remember he had a son who needed more than ramen and bologna or a bed to stay in.”

Reno’s face, as I’d learned, was hard to read. He still looked pissed while he stared at me for almost thirty seconds without saying a word. I had no idea why the hell he could be mad at me except that I’d been honest. I mean, he’d asked, and even as oblivious as I could be, I knew if you asked people about their past around here, chances were high you weren’t going to get a happy answer.

I sighed, looking away. “I’m not expecting you to comfort me or even feel bad for me. You asked, I answered.”

“Huh,” he grunted, looking away. But not fast enough that I didn’t detect what looked like relief on his face. Jesus, was this guy so against the idea of compassion that being let off the hook was a relief? Hell, maybe it was a sign of some progress on his part that he might have felt like he needed to show something softer.

“And you don’t have to tell me that I shouldn’t come crying to you either,” I added for good measure.

“I wasn’t going to say that,” he said with a sullen shrug.

“Oh…alright.”

“Right.”

I had to resist the urge to repeat his words back at him and sighed. “Alright, so we’ve got that covered at least. So, uh…what are we going to do?”

He stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Don’t ask me, Elliot. You’re the social butterfly. I could sit around here all day and read.”

I wrinkled my nose. “That sounds about as much fun as taking a kick to the head from one of the horses.”

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