Page 63 of Fight

He scoffs. It’s the most enthusiastic response I’ve received yet.

Ugh, why do you have to be such a dick?!

I’m trying to be civil, but he’s giving me nothing to work with. I pick up my book. “I started reading this earlier. It’s pretty good. It’s about this guy who…” He’s not listening. My lips roll together, and I nod at the unspoken rejection. “… ’Kay.” I hang my head in defeat and resign to the other side of the lookout to read beside the window that has the most light streaming through the shutters.

A few minutes pass, and he clears his throat. “I, um, I lived in one of these towers for a bit. Years ago.”

My eyebrows shoot up at the attempt of conversation.

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hm.”

I let some of the tension settle before I take my turn to speak again. “What was it like?” I’m hesitant to move or say too much and scare him off like a deer.

“Unbelievable views and tons of wildlife to watch. It was a fantastic experience.”

“That’s really cool… Did you ever get lonely?”

He shrugs. “Nah, I knew it was temporary.”

I grin. “How long were you there?”

“A few months.”

It feels like the first normal conversation we’ve had since Oregon.

“A few months and you didn’t get lonely?” I tilt my head to the side. “What about women?” I tease.

The corner of his mouth tips up, and he gives that sexy smirk that had me tripping over my words when we met that night at the bar. “Well, maybe alittlelonely.”

“Hm.” I hum in agreement and offer a small smile.

I don’t want to push my luck, so I wait for him to continue. After a long pause, I retreat into the pages of my book, but as soon as I pick up where I left off, he speaks up.

“What board games did you find?”

She narrows her eyes. “B-7.”

Goddamn it. “Hit.”

Scottie beams proudly. “B-8.”

I sigh. “You sank my patrol boat… Why are you so good at this?” She’s won the last three games, and none of them have even been close.

“I cheat.”

“How?!” I lean forward, seeing if she’s able to view my board. Doubtful, the sun set an hour ago, and we’re playing by the light of the fire. I had a hard enough time seeing my own board.

“I’m only kidding.” She chuckles and shrugs. “I’m good at hiding my ships.”

Once the pieces are picked up, she hands me the box, and I return it to the cupboard with a couple games and choose a new one.

“Sorry, I need to ask,” she says, taking a serious tone. “Are we just talking because we’re in each other’s proximity? Are we friends now?”

I slide the box on top of the other games and stand. “Huh?”

“You said things have run their course. Does that mean sleeping togetherandfriendship? Do we go back to not speaking to each other once we get out of here?”

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