"So," he says, handing me a coffee mug. "You going to tell me what happened to Sebastian 'Never On The First Date' Montgomery, who suddenly needs breakfast at the butt crack of dawn?"
I take a long sip of coffee. "I needed to clear my head."
"Uh-huh." He flips the bacon. "And it has nothing to do with you sneaking out of Charlie's place?"
The coffee suddenly tastes bitter. "I didn't sneak out."
"What would you call it, then?"
"A strategic exit." I deadpan
Tyler snorts, dumping eggs onto two plates. "Right. Because that's so much better."
"It's not like that." I rub a hand over my face. "It was just..."
"Just what? A one-night stand?" He slides a plate toward me, eyebrows raised. "Since when do you do those? Even in college you were the guy who made breakfast after."
I stab at my eggs. "People change."
"Bullshit." Ty drops into the island chair next to me. "I know you, man. One-and-done isn't your style. You're the guy who dates a girl for three weeks minimum before deciding it's not going anywhere."
He's right, which is irritating. I've never been the hit-it-and-quit-it type. Not because of some moral high ground, I just prefer knowing who I'm with. Learning what makes them tick. What makes them laugh. What makes them come apart.
Like how Charlie's breath caught when I kissed that spot just below her ear. How her eyes flash when she's challenged. How she bites her lower lip when she's trying not to smile.
"Earth to Bash." Tyler waves a piece of bacon in front of my face. "You're thinking about her right now, aren't you?"
"No."
"Liar. Your face gets all..." He gestures vaguely. "Constipated when you're overthinking something."
"Thanks for that assessment."
"So what's the deal? She kick you out of bed? Terrible in the sack?" He grins at my expression. "Ah, so definitely not that last one. Interesting."
I point my fork at him. "Can we not discuss this while I'm trying to eat?"
"Fine." He takes a bite of bacon, chewing thoughtfully. "But you know I'm going to keep asking. It's weird, man. You meet this girl, disappear with her, then show up at my place the next morning looking like someone kicked your puppy."
"I don't have a puppy."
"Not the point, genius." He hands me a piece of bacon from his plate. "What happened?"
I take it and push eggs around my plate. "I don't know. There was just... something about her."
"Something?"
"Yeah." I struggle to articulate it. "She's sharp. Doesn't take any shit. But there's this softness underneath, you know? Like she's protecting something."
Tyler studies me, unusually serious. "So you slept with her... and then left without a word... because you like her too much?"
Put like that, it sounds ridiculous. But it's not entirely wrong. Charlie Whitaker is a dangerous woman—not because she's trying to be, but because she made me feel something I wasn't prepared for. Something beyond the usual attraction.
"I panicked, alright?" I admit. "She was asleep, looking all..." Beautiful. Perfect. Like someone I could wake up next to for more than just one morning. "I don't know. It felt intense."
"So you bolted." Tyler shakes his head. "Very mature."
"Says the guy whose longest relationship is with his Xbox."
