Page 36 of Shattered Rhythm

“Hey!” I exclaim, then chuckle.

“Sure, but let’s order in. I can’t handle food poisoning right now,” he says with a smirk. “I just need to go take a shower real quick, and then you can explain to me why you have a bruised neck and who I have to kill for it.”

I freeze.Oh no, I forgot to cover up my bruises.I bite my lip, knowing there’s no way I can avoid this.

“All right, just come over. I’ll leave the door open,” I say, trying to act nonchalant.

“No,” he says firmly. “You lock the door, and I’ll knock. Clear?”

“Crystal,” I reply before quickly going back into my apartment and trying to tidy up a bit before Gunner comes over.

* * *

At the knock on my door, I get up, opening it to a freshly showered and shaved Gunner. He smells like sandalwood, and I like it.

“Hey,” I greet with a smile. “I didn’t know what you’d like to eat, so I wanted to wait to order. Pizza or Chinese? Or would you like something else?”

“How about pasta? I need some carbs,” he replies.

“Mhm, sure.”

I open the app and hand him my phone so he can make his choices. He orders three different pastas, while I just stick with penne Alfredo. He’s in sweats now too, eyeing the desk chair that is stuffed with clothes, and I grimace.

“I’m sorry, I thought we could hang out on the bed, but I can declutter the chair if you’d prefer sitting there.”

He laughs. “It’s all right, Livy. We can hang out on your bed.”

We sit down and turn to face each other, him leaning against my headboard, while I sit cross-legged at the end of my bed.

“So,” he says, pulling in a leg. “What happened to your throat?”

I sigh, then start with my classmates telling me about the open cage job and how the night went. He sits there, listening to me intently, but I see his fists clench when I tell him about the guy who grabbed and choked me. I finish with the morning I left the guys’ house.

“And none of those dumbasses thought it would be a good idea to get you checked out?” he finally asks.

“They sure did, but I didn’t,” I reply with a smile. “As you can see, I’m already healing. Nothing severe.”

He shakes his head. “Livy…”

“Shh, I know, okay? But it’s done. I’m okay, and nothing bad happened. It’s all good.”

“I don’t know in what world you would call this” —he gestures to my throat— “all good, but sure.”

After our food arrives, Gunner eagerly digs in as if he hasn’t eaten in days, and I chuckle at his enthusiasm.

“You had some hard days too?”

He slows down eating and explains between mouthfuls, “I had a job as part of a security detail for an ambassador last week, which meant less sleep and even fewer breaks to eat or rest.”

“Sounds rough,” I say, frowning sympathetically. “No wonder I haven’t seen you around. Is it over now?”

“Fortunately, yes. I have a few days off now, so I can catch up on some sleep,” he responds.

“Fuck, and here I am, bribing you with food to come hang out with me, when you should be getting some sleep,” I say by way of apology.

“I’d rather spend some time with you,” he insists. “I missed you. We should exchange numbers. I had no way to check in on you, and look what happened.”

I grin at his comment. “You know that would have happened even if you’d had my number, right?” I joke.

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