Page 47 of Home With You

"What was that?" he asks. "I didn't hear you."

"Nothing." I look at him, specifically his eyes. I've heard eyes tell you more about a person than anything else. Rob had dark smoldering eyes that drew me in the first time I saw him. But I could feel something in those eyes that didn't seem right. At the time I told myself it was attraction giving me that nervous flutter I felt when he looked at me. Then later, I convinced myself it was love. Now I know those feelings were my gut telling me not to trust him. Telling me to run from him.

I don't feel any of that when I look at Miles' eyes. Like Rob, Miles has eyes that capture my attention and make me not want to look away. They stir something in me, but it's not the feeling I had with Rob. It's different. I can't really explain it. I'm still trying to figure it out.

"You want to come inside?" Miles asks.

"I guess I could." I step into the apartment but remain by the door.

"Feel free to look around," he says. "I'll go get your backpack."

The ceilings are high, and when I look up I see stairs leading to another room. His bedroom. It's lofted above the main level and open so you can see it from the door.

"What do you think?" he says from the kitchen.

"Is that your bedroom?" I ask, looking up at it.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's not very private."

"I'm going to get some curtains eventually. For now, I don't mind it being open. I don't have any visitors." He smiles. "Except for you. You're my first one."

He walks over to me holding a navy blue backpack that looks much newer and cleaner than my old one.

I point to it. "What's that?"

"Your backpack."

"That's not mine."

"I know." He holds it up. "I got you a new one."

I sigh. "Miles, I told you not to do that."

"And I told you I was going to. It was on sale. I promise."

"You don't listen," I say, annoyed.

"That IS a flaw of mine," he says, trying to be serious but his lips are turning up.

"What are your other flaws?" I turn and lean against the door, my hand on my hip.

"Hmm." He pauses to think. "Might need some time to think about that."

"Seriously?" I shake my head. "Okay, I'll give you one. You lack humility."

"Not true. Try again."

"If you can't think of a single flaw, you lack humility."

"I gave you a flaw. I don't listen when people tell me to do something that needs to be done. And just to be clear, in other situations, I'm a very good listener."

"What other situations?"

"If you need to talk or just vent after a bad day, I'm your guy." He holds the backpack out to me. "Just try it out. If you don't like it, I'll put it outside and put a free sign on it."

"Don't do that," I say, snatching it from him. "Someone will take it."

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