“Well then …” He pauses, clears his throat.“I’ll show you what I can, but you don’t want me as a mentor.”
Has he always been this frustrating?
“Why the hell not?You’re the best there is.”
“I’ve made plenty of mistakes.”
And I haven’t?
“Then tell me what they are, and I won’t make them.”
A muscle in his jaw tics.“Are you saying you’ll do what I tell you?”
As though my body has heard the magic words, it flares to life, tingles flaring out like fireworks.Pop-pop-pop.
“Yes.”
He licks his lips, holding my gaze, but says nothing.
Our food arrives, and Leo looks especially pleased to have interrupted … whatever the hell that was.Maybe he can fill me in.
The meal is even better than promised, and I order seconds to take home for dinner tomorrow.
“You’re as bad as him,” Leo says before running back to the kitchen.
“I feel like I’ve learned a secret,” I say.
“About my terrible eating habits?”
“That you have friends.”I’m a little afraid of how it’ll land.Sterling is having an actual conversation with me—over dinner even—and here I am, pushing a little bit further.“It’s nice.Everyone deserves to be happy.”
“Even the miserable black hole with an inflated ego?”
God, I could kill Andy.
I shift in my seat, pressing my knee into his.A gesture and an apology.
“Especially him.”
* * *
Make Your Choice:
let’s get back to work(go to 20)
I’m in a rush.Give me the CliffsNotes(go to 25)
go back(go to 10)
“A walk sounds nice.”
We step out of the building into the night.The air is humid, thick with the anticipation of rain.The roads glisten like oil spills, slick under the dinner rush.Traffic sits at a standstill, voicing its anger with horns and complaints.
Another night in the city.
“Must be a big change from back home,” Sterling says.He shoves his hands deep in his pockets, the collar of his coat turned up.
“It’s not so different,” I say.“Especially when the cicadas arrive.I get more peace here than I ever did on the farm.”
