Page 77 of The Fallacy of True Love
She had a point, but I couldn’t leave her alone. “What if someone breaks in while you’re sleeping?”
“It’s one night. You’re overreacting.”
“I’m making up for your lack of concern.”
She remained stubbornly quiet.
I mirrored her stance with my own arms over my chest. “Maya. I’m serious. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I left you here and something bad happened. I’ll risk the cockroaches if it means I can look out for you.”
The furrow between her brows deepened as she seemed to battle between insisting on her independence and giving in to her practical side. Finally, her forehead smoothed out. “Don’t blame me if you get any strange bites or diseases,” she grumbled, her arms falling to her sides.
I shrugged. “My mom’s a nurse. I’ll ask her if anything like that happens.”
“Must be nice.” Almost immediately, she winced. “Shit, I’m sorry. Parents are a touchy subject for me.”
“Are yours that bad?”
“I don’t know. I never knew them.”
I stared at her, wondering if I heard her right. She met my eyes dead-on, her guarded expression telling me the awful truth. Had they passed away before she was old enough to have any memories of them? Did they put her up for adoption? I wanted to ask, but I had no right to.
I’d always prided myself on knowing the right words to say, even when they were a load of crap. This time, I didn’t have the faintest clue.
“You can stay, but you’re not sleeping in my bed,” Maya said, taking the heat off me. Maybe she was taking it off the both of us.
Whatever the case, her glare warned me not to pry. “I’ll take the chair.”
She gave me a jerky nod.
Just when I thought I had her all figured out, she’d dropped a bomb that proved me wrong. Each new thing I learned about her opened up a new round of questions, making me want to know more.
She rolled her shoulders, letting out a throaty groan. The realization that we were alone together in a bedroom where we would both be staying for the night sank in. With that came the acceptance that it wasn’t just her mysteries I was fascinated with. It was her as a woman—a strong, fierce, undeniably attractive one.
My skin felt overheated. “You hungry?” I blurted out.
Even before I got the last syllable out, she said, “Yeah. I want tapsilog.”
I smiled. “I know the perfect place.”
Luckily, there was a branch of the restaurant I had in mind less than ten minutes away. Before we headed out, Maya changed into a tank top and denim cutoff shorts, and we spoke with the landlord about checking out the next day. It took me pointing out that the photos he posted looked nothing like the actual room for him to begrudgingly agree to waive the cancellation fee for the next three nights.
“Do you need extra money for a hotel?” I asked Maya as we walked to the restaurant.
“No. The company gave us an allowance. I just went for a cheaper place so I’d have money for other stuff, but it’s okay. I’ll give up dinners if it means sleeping with an actual lock on the door. We have plenty of food at the boot camp anyway.”
I’d already planned to pay for the meal, but if I hadn’t, I would have decided to then and there. “You sure?”
“Yep. I’ll look for a place while we eat,” she said.
“I’ll help you out.”
Suddenly, I heard an unfamiliar female voice saying, “OMG, check out that girl.”
“You know, she would be hot if she weren’t fat,” another girl said. “Do you think they’re together?”
“No way. Why would a guy that looks like that be with her?”
I turned to glare at the group of girls, but Maya beat me to it. She didn’t just glance back—she full-on swiveled and faced them.
