Page 21 of Your Secret to Keep

She rocks back on her heels and replies, “I’m thinking about it.”

“How long should I wait?” I put a hand on the door frame, leaning my weight to one side.

“I shouldn’t say it,” Lia insists, almost like she’s talking to herself and I’m not standing right here. A dog barks, a glass breaks, and some of her neighbors yell loud enough that it’s easy to hear, even when it’s the floor above us.

I take in a long breath and murmur, “Then don’t.”

“But I want to.” Her eyes dart from mine to my lips and back again. I’m holding my breath, hoping she’s going to say one of the hundred things that would make this night continue.

So far, I’ve let her set boundaries that I’ve followed. I don’t ever want her to feel uncomfortable and I know the job means a lot to her. If it was my choice, we’d be planning our nights together every night when we were free.

Lia opens the door further, standing in the doorway so still she’s like a statue. “Do you want to comein?”

I say nothing but my smile gives me away as I step into her apartment. The alarm bells are going off in my brain, screaming about the scenario I’d hoped would happen but wasn’t sure it actually would.

I want to know more about her. I want to see where she lives. Learn more of her secrets.

I take my shoes off, copying Lia, and catalog the details of her apartment. It’s a studio, but it’s not cramped or anything I would have expected. The outside of this place is kind of rough, needing a fresh coat of paint and replacement light bulbs while address numbers are falling off doors, but her apartment is nothing like that.

Light pink covers the walls and when she says, “Let’s get cozy,” twinkly lights turn on and her main lights dim. It’s fucking adorable.

“This is nice,” I compliment, looking around the small kitchen as Lia takes her leftovers and vat of salsa out of the bag and puts them in the fridge.

“Thanks. I’ve done a lot to make it feel like home. I’ve been here for a few years.”

“Long enough to make it cozy?” I tease a little bit on the last word, thinking about the voice command she used a minute ago.

“Almost. Do you want tea?”

“If you’re having some.”

She moves around the kitchen. I lean against the counter, thinking about her routines. Is this something she does every night? I see pictures on the fridge and take a closer look.

They’re mostly of her and a younger man. Out to dinner. At a coffee shop. In Santa hats on Christmas morning. I’m guessing it’s her brother, but who knows.

“Who is this?” I ask, pointing to one of the photos.

“Wes. My younger brother.”

“How young?”

“Seventeen. Senior in high school. Obsessed with basketball. He’s played on the varsity team since he was a freshman. He’s trying to get scouts to come to a few games.” Lia talks about him in a way that shows how much she cares about him.

“Is he any good?”

“Yeah, he is. Unbiased opinion. I’d never set him up for failure, like those horrible parents who tell their kids they’re the next LeBron James when they’re 5’6” and think they’re too good to practice free throws or learn how to handle the ball with both hands.”

“I mean, I know some scouts. I did once go to college,” I laugh as she dips tea bags in and out of the steaming water.

She gives me a side-eye look and insists, “I’d never ask you to do that.” Lia shakes her head as she looks at the clock on the oven, seeing how much time has passed.

“You’re not asking. I’m offering. If he’s good, maybe he’ll go to my alma mater and help them win a championship or something.”

“He’s been dying to come to a game. To meet you. He keeps asking me to take pictures while I’m at work because I don’t think he believes it’s real.” She takes the tea bags out, straining the water in the sink and tossing the bags in the trash.

She carries both mugs into what the living room would be. A love seat and a chair are placed next to each other in front of a light wooden coffee table.

I take one end of the love seat as Lia hands me the steaming mug. When Lia sets her own mug down on a small side table on the other side of the love seat, I know she’s going to sit next to me.

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