Page 15 of Defend Me

To the left of the entryway was the kitchen. Black cabinets contrasted with white countertops in a way that was beautiful. The long island tied it all together with a bedroom on each side of it.

He ran his fingers over a bronze handle on one of the drawers while he nodded slowly.

“Welcome to the abode,” I said, throwing my arms wide and spinning in a circle. “Yeah, I know. It’s ridiculous, but I didn’t get much of a choice in where I lived.”

“Must be a hard life.”

“Not in the conventional way, no.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means that I could complain about some things in my life, but I know that I have it better than most, so I don’t.”

He hummed thoughtfully as he brushed his hand over the counter.

“So, you’re the suffer in silence type.”

I shrugged. “Suffer is a bit dramatic. I prefer to meddle in other people’s issues.”

“Is that why you’re harassing me?”

“Sometimes, I just like a challenge.”

He paused and glanced up at me. “Getting me here was a game.”

I leaned my forearms on the island directly across from him. He put his hands on it, meeting my eyes without getting too close.

Was this a challenge? It was hard to explain to him. He was hot, but I wasn’t attracted to him. The vibes were off in that way. Somewhere deep down, he was chill, and I could see him being a no-nonsense friend. I kind of needed one of those.

“You’re a straightforward dude,” I said. “I’ll meet you where you’re at. Yeah, it’s fun and maybe you’d see it as a game. Really, I just like getting to know people. It’s like… collecting Pokémon cards. Variety is good and some of them are my go-tos, but I want to have a whole arsenal I can turn to.”

“Can we not talk in analogies?”

“Okay. I have close friends, casual friends, and acquaintances. If I feel like I’ll enjoy someone’s company, I like to find a way to put them in one of those categories. You seem cool, so I’m feeling you out.”

“Hm.”

I took a dab pen from my pocket and tossed it at him. It was a bit of a surprise when he actually caught it, but he was a football player, so maybe it was on instinct. He stared at it for a second before he brought it to his lips.

“Surprised this thing isn’t made of twenty-four karat gold,” he noted as he exhaled.

“I’m not that pretentious, buddy.”

“You got me a stupidly fancy ride. And look at this place.”

I smiled somewhat ruefully. “The ride was to impress you and convince you not to yeet me out of a window.”

“And the place?”

“Like I said, I didn’t pick it. I’d happily take a dorm, but this money,” I waved a hand around the space, “doesn’t belong to me, so I don’t get a say.”

There was something in his eyes after I finished talking. It was deeper than I’d seen from him. I didn’t expect him to understand the nuances of my issues. Nobody did, which was why I didn’t share things so personal.

“It helps that you’re gorgeous,” I added when the silence became awkward.

His nose wrinkled. I smirked when he looked at me again.

“Excuse me?”

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