Page 30 of How to Prevent a Fumble

Ouch.

“I’ve wanted to be a better man since the day you moved in, Briar. There’s just something about you.”

And I’m not lying. I may be an idiot, but Briar has high standards. I don’t have feelings for her, but something about her presence demands I play by the rules.

I want her to be… proud of me? Is that it?

I think so.

Briar rubs her chest, her hand shaky as she looks between me and the door. “You’re not safe here,” I whisper.

“I don’t want to go to your place.”

“Then I’ll find you somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Anywhere. Owen’s?”

She shakes her head, suddenly sitting upright. “Don’t you dare tell my brother.”

I hold up my hands, leaning back. “I wasn’t going to, I promise. That’s something you need to do yourself. I just want you and Elara safe no matter where you are.”

She bites her lip, looking anywhere but me before her eyes land on the mess of broken vinyl and CDs on the floor. “It took my whole life to collect those,” she says quietly.

I get up, walking over to them before crouching. There’s a couple of them still intact. Removing them from the mess, I set them on her dusty coffee table. I can feel her eyes on me, watching my every move as I pile them up one by one.

“Okay,” I say once I’m done, standing tall. “Where are we going, Sunny?”

Briar agreed to go back to my place. I didn’t want to admit that I was holding my breath the entire time.

But she chose herself.

After I found all the unbroken CDs, we packed them up into a box, putting them in my car.

The night sky is dark with clouds, the streetlights casting a golden glow over Briar’s pale skin. “Leo?” she says softly as she crosses her arms next to her car.

“Yeah?”

“You have this legacy. This amazing, wonderful legacy. It’s in your hands. And you’re going to lose it if you don’t shape up. And no matter what you may think, I don’t think anyone wants to see that happen. Well, maybe Ohio fans. But my point is still valid.”

“Did you just crack a joke, Sunny?”

She rolls her eyes, jingling her keys between her fingers. “I’m being serious, Leo.”

I don’t have to search her face to know this. Briar is always serious. “I know.”

Her eyes sear into mine for a couple more moments before she averts her gaze, curling her lower lip between her teeth. “I’ll meet you back at your place, okay?”

“Is the house locked up?” I ask her, looking back at it.

She shakes her head. “It’s not locking at the moment. I’ll get a lock for the door tomorrow and come back to install it.”

“No you won’t,” I tell her a little too harshly. “You need something here, I’ll come with you or I’ll do it, okay?”

Studying the ground beneath her feet, she slowly nods.

“I’ll meet you back at the apartment, Briar. Drive safe.”

“Hey, you coming out tonight?” Kevin asks from my speakers.

“No, I was calling to see if you could do me a favor.” I tellhim, turning my blinker on and merging into the next lane. Looking in my rearview mirror, I watch as Briar trails me. While I would normally push the speed limit heading home, I want to make sure she’s still there.

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