Page 46 of The Enforcer

He stops rubbing his hair, looking at me with an amused expression. “I thought that was implied.”

I shrug, stretching out on the couch. “Wasn’t real sure. But glad to know that we are. I can start writing your name on the back of my notebooks with hearts and shit.”

Shane gives me a dry look. “Why are you the way you are?”

“You like it.”

“Love it, actually,” Shane says as he gives me a sweet kiss. “What are we watching?”

“Alien.”

“Ugh, not that movie again.”

I admit, I am obsessed with Alien. My dad and I used to watch it often. We both admired the plot, the acting, the cinematography, and the overall effects. No matter how many times we watched it, we seemed to pick out something new. It was something we bonded over. Now that he’s gone, it’s a comfort-watch for me.

“Want to watch something else?” Though I love the movie, I’m willing to bend for him.

“No. Alien is fine. I like how animated you are when you talk about it. But I get to pick the next movie.”

“Fine by me.”

Shane stretches out on the couch with his head in my lap and I glide my fingers through the damp strands of his hair. Something like a purr escapes his throat as I drag my blunt nails over his scalp. It’s fucking adorable.

The movie is as engrossing now as it was the first time I watched it. I don’t jump during the iconic chest bursting scene, but Shane does, giving me a hard look when I laugh. I’m not sure how he doesn’t remember it’s coming, as many times as he’s watched this movie with me.

Instead of Shane picking a movie, he opts to go to bed, saying he’s tired from everything that happened during the week. It’s just as well, we have a bit of a drive tomorrow so we can get to the date I set up for us. Shane tries to pry it out of me, but I keep telling him it’s a surprise. He doesn’t look unhappy that I keep telling him no—it’s quite the opposite. He’s intrigued, trying to guess what it could be.

“Even if you guess right,” I say, “I’m not going to tell you.”

He huffs, stretched out across my chest. “Fine. I’ll stop. But it better not be getting on the back of your death machine.”

I chuckle. “You won’t. I promise.” I kiss his forehead. “Go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.”

The next morning, Shane starts pestering me immediately to tell him what our date is. I keep my lips zipped, laughing at all the wild and outlandish guesses he makes.

“Are we going hiking?” he asks as I drag him out of the door and to my car. I memorized the directions so Shane won’t know where we’re going until we get close.

Sighing in exasperation, I ask rhetorically, “Does it look like either of us is dressed to hike? I told you; I want to take care of you. Taking care of you is making sure you have hiking boots on before I take you anywhere close to a mountain.”

“Just tell me,” he whines.

“Nope. Just enjoy the surprise.” I kiss his pouted lip, making him giggle.

The drive takes about an hour, Shane’s head on a swivel the entire time, trying to figure out where I’m taking him. He holds my hand, idly thumbing over the skin of my palm. It feels good, how he does it without thought. My chest feels warm as I think about how effortless it is to be with him.

I don’t have to think about if I’m doing something right or if I’ll screw it up. Besides the fact that he would tell me if I did, I know Shane well enough to know what he likes and doesn’t like. Taking care of him is second nature to me.

When we’re about five minutes out, the signs on the exits start appearing and he finally puts it together.

A smile stretches his face as the sign for Misty Pines Riding Stable comes into view. “Horseback riding?”

I nod, kissing the back of his hand. “Yeah. I told you I would get you behind me one day, didn’t I? Here’s the solution so you don’t have to get on my chopper.”

“You think you’re so smart, huh?” he asks, smiling over at me.

“I do,” I joke. “Seriously, you said you’d never ridden a horse before. Neither have I. I figured we could cross this milestone together.”

Shane pulls his lips in and stares out of the window. After a few beats, he says, “This is really thoughtful. I didn’t think you’d remember what I said after all the excitement that happened in Georgia.” He looks at me, his eyes soft and full of all the love he feels for me. “Thank you, Ezekiel.”

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