Page 44 of Off Limits

“A few weeks ago.”

“And I’m just hearing about this now?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“You got evicted, and you don’t think that’s a big deal?”

“Evicted?”

Isaac and I both turned toward the doorway as Luka and Zander came into the break room together.

“Evicted?” Luka repeated, shooting Zander a look.

“Renovicted,” I corrected, my face heating uncomfortably.

“That’s why you asked me to hold on to your books,” Zander said, his dark eyes studying me.

I nodded.

“Are you okay?” Luka asked. “Where are you living?”

“I’m fine. I’m staying with my stepbrother while I look for a new place.”

“The stepbrother he hates, who makes him lunch now.” Isaac pointed to my empty container.

“It’s not a big deal.” I resisted the urge to fiddle with the fork I was still clutching, which was weird because I didn’t fiddle with things. That habit was verbally beaten out of me as a child, and the scoldings had stuck. “He made too much when he was doing his meal prep and told me to take some for my lunches so it doesn’t go to waste.”

Zander and Luka’s expressions told me they knew I wasn’t being completely honest, but I knew they wouldn’t call me on it. Dex had said that, but I highly doubted he’d accidentally made double the amount of food that he needed by accident.

This wasn’t the first time he’d offered me his “extra” food since the night he’d asked about my grocery shopping habits. It started with his “leftovers” at dinner last week, and last night, I found a stack of containers on my side of the fridge with a sticky note on them saying he’d accidentally made too much and I should take the extras for lunch so they didn’t go to waste.

Freezers were a thing, and Dex was one of those guys who weighed his portions and meticulously planned everything he ate to make sure he was hitting his macros or whatever the fuck athletes tracked. The odds of him accidentally making enough to feed both of us were slim.

But instead of getting my hackles up, the fact that he cared enough to make sure I was eating properly made my insides feelfunny. No one had ever given a shit if I was eating, or what I was eating, and I wasn’t sure what to do with his concern.

Which was stupid because it had nothing to do with concern. He was just making sure I didn’t starve to death on his watch. Our parents might not like me, but they depended on me to make their lives easier, and they’d be pissed if they had to find a new errand boy and babysitter.

He was covering his ass. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Zander asked.

“I’m sure.” I glanced at the clock above the door to the shop. “I gotta get back out there.” I grabbed the container and stood. “See you in a few,” I said to Zander and Luka, who were starting their shifts in twenty minutes. “Have a good break,” I said to Isaac, then hurried over to my locker to put my stuff away.

I was just closing my locker when my phone vibrated in my pocket. Pulling it out, I checked my notifications.

Dex: I’ll send your share of the $ tonight

Opening our text thread, I typed out a reply.

Asa: K. Just getting off break now

I had no idea why I sent the second part of my text, but for some reason, I didn’t want him to think I was being dismissive with my “K,” but I couldn’t think of anything more eloquent to say in response.

Dex: will you be home at your usual time?

Asa: yeah, you?

Dex: might be a bit early, but yeah around the same time

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