“Come on, you know what I’m saying.”
“I do, and there’s no way that I’m sleeping at your place.”I gave him a shove that did nothing to move him.He was ...very solid.Touching him was like trying to take only one spoonful of my favorite ice cream, it just made me want more—all the more reason for me to do a better job avoiding him and definitely not sleeping anywhere near him.It wasn’t like I would backslide into that toxic mess, but I was also only human.
“If it was that easy to break through when it wasn’t broken, it’d be nothing now,” he pointed out.
“I bet your shoulder is going to hurt like hell tomorrow.”
“I can’t stress how much I didn’t feel anything.”
“Aren’t you just a big strong man,” I deadpanned.
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“I’m not safe if the door is perfect.I’ll take my chances.”
“Alicia, please, if someone gets in here—”
“Who is this person?I haven’t noticed a dark crime circuit in the mean streets of Grand Ridge.”
“If something happened to you because of me I’d never forgive myself.”
“It wouldn’t be because of you.It would be because of whoever this terrible person is lurking in the shadows and lying in wait.”
He scraped a palm across his mouth.Behind his hand, I knew that his jaw was clenched by the way his eyes pierced me, these tell-tail signs of barely restrained irritation.My guard snapped back into place, ready to rise above whatever shitty thing he was about to do or say.
Instead, he pulled in a deep breath and visibly forced himself to relax.“Just take mercy on me.You saw what I did when it was just a bird.”
“Bit of an overreaction, BTW.”
“Probably, but you sounded like you needed me—help.”He corrected quickly, but his first sentence still hung there pushing us both off-center.“Please, Leese, put on your pj’s and I’ll change my sheets.You can have my bed.I won’t even talk to you if you want that.”
Bad idea.
I couldn’t really put my finger onwhy, but it was.Probably.It could also be just fine.
Yes, we had treated each other terribly.But that had been years ago, I’d grown and gone to therapy.He couldn’t hurt me like he used to, and I was a little curious to see who he’d become while I was away.Who was this Remi who broke down doors, captured and released birds, shoveled his neighbor’s walk, and took care of sick animals?Who was this man who despite all the ways I damaged him years ago would still rather have me spend the night in his bed alone than risk me getting hurt?
Furgie placed her front paws on my calf, and I bent to scratch her head happy for the excuse to avoid looking at him.
“So many more birds are gonna get in,” he said.
Shithead.
I couldn’t fight back a little smile.“I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”
“You will,” his voice carried more relief than was entirely reasonable.
“For just tonight.”
“Great, thank you.”
Cutting my gaze up to him, I added, “I will decide if we’re speaking or not when I get there.”
The smile he gave me was a bit too knowing for my taste, but I found myselfwantingto smile back.
“I might not,” I insisted.
“Where’s that cardboard and duct tape, I’ll get this as good as it can get.”
