Page 102 of Myla: The Hawthornes

“You can thank your roommates for that,” I added. “And you showin’ up bringin’ me lunch.”

“Myla got Chinese food,” Rumi said, walking away. “I can smell it, and I want some. Who’s gonna go pick it up? Prospect? Where’s a prospect? Any prospect. I’m not choosy.” His words trailed off as he got further away.

“You got Chinese food?” I asked quietly as Myla silently fumed.

“It’s the stuff you like,” she said, pushing the bag into my hands. “Enjoy.”

She turned to storm off, but I snagged her arm before she got more than two steps away. “Knock it off,” I ordered, holding her in place until we were side by side. “Don’t do that shit.”

She walked quietly beside me toward her car.

“Why are you embarrassed?” I asked when we reached it.

“I just—” Her nostrils flared, and she looked away for a moment, her eyes glossy. “I didn’t want to make a big thing, I just had a half day and I thought we could have lunch together. And then my brothers—”

“Who gives a shit?” I asked, cutting her off. “They’re your brothers, they give you shit, it’s what they do.”

“I just wanted it to be a thing, just me and you.”

“Baby, you show up at the garage, you know you’re gonna take some teasin’.”

“Maybe you should find somewhere else to work,” she grumbled, making me chuckle.

“Word about us is spreadin’ like wildfire—”

“Great!” She threw her hands up in the air.

“And not one of your brothers has come over to give me shit,” I continued, ignoring the outburst. “They’re happy for you.”

“They’re annoying.”

“That, too.”

“Well, since I’m not stepping foot in the clubhouse, do you want to just eat in the car?”

I looked up at the dark clouds above us. The picnic tables outside would be soaked before we even sat down. “Yeah.”

I waited for her to get into the driver’s seat before climbing in the passenger side and handing her the bag of food.

“I got that chicken chow mein you like,” she said, handing me a box. “And the special that we both like.” She set the second one on the dash. “And some broccoli and beef.” She set another box on the dash. “Oh, and some spring rolls.”

“You were gonna make me eat all this by myself?” I asked in amusement, looking at all the food.

“Shut up.”

“I woulda had to share it so it didn’t go to waste,” I added as she handed me a set of chopsticks. I waited a beat. “With Rumi.”

“Fuck Rumi,” she mumbled with a laugh, snapping apart her chopsticks.

“Why’d you only have a half day?” I asked as we dug into our food.

“Well, to be fair, I only had to go into one of the properties for half a day,” she clarified. “I’m working from home the rest of the day.”

“Lucky,” I teased. “Gonna sit in your bed on your laptop?”

“On the couch,” she corrected with a grin. “With the TV on.”

“You rebel.”

---