“You shouldn’t carry so much at once. You could have tripped and fallen.” Sheldon picked up the part that unraveled and pried the rest from my hands so he could put it back to how it was.
“Thank you,” Hartley cut in, plucking the fabric from Sheldon. “Here’s another list of more items I need. Why don’t you both go? You know, so no one falls.” He winked at me before returning to his work.
“Subtle,” Sheldon muttered. “I’m here to relieve Rory, not be your errand boy.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” Hartley stated without looking at him.
Sheldon and I walked to the back room. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. I hadn’t been alone with Sheldon since… shit, I couldn’t remember. It wasn’t recent that was for certain.
“He made this list up.” I held it up. “He doesn’t need any of this.”
“Like I said, subtle.”
I should have spoken the two words then and there.I’m sorry.It wasn’t a lot. Simple to say. And yet, I didn’t utter a damn word.
“What did I do, Forest?” Sheldon asked. “I don’t need a drawn-out explanation. Give me something so I can figure out what the hell I did to make you not want to be anywhere near me.”
My finger traced along a deep purple fabric, my eyes on anything but him. “This is going to sound cliché, but it’s not you. It’s me. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“I’m a good listener. Sometimes at least. See me during usual sleeping hours. I’m at my peak quietness then.” When I didn’t respond, he added, “I just want to know why. The invitation is there to talk to me. Text me and I’ll meet you anywhere in the building. The only people who will know you’re there are the guards who will see you and whoever is manning the security desk. Believe me when I say, they won’t care.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text.
Sheldon: Please.
My eyes met his. “Okay.”
He let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing. “Thank you.” He took the list from my fingers. “I’m going to return this to Hartley and relieve Rory. If you talk, so will I. All right?”
I nodded.
Sheldon left while I couldn’t get my feet to move. I wasn’t ready to confess what I’d been feeling to him, but I could explain why I was the way I was. Hopefully, it would give him insight into me.
I hadn’t spent a lot of time with the guards, not like Vail had. He loved meeting each one, learning about them, and becoming a part of their lives. Vail was a genuinely good human being. Just being around him made me a better person. I didn’t have the same ability he did to make friends. I was content to know the bare minimum, who I had to interact with, and leave it at that.
“Want me to move your bed down here?” Hartley asked.
Turning, I found him in the doorway. “Nah, I have no idea what I’d do with all of this. I’d probably cut the fabric into tiny strips out of boredom.”
He gasped and put his hand to his chest. “You wouldn’t. These are my babies.”
His words had the desired effect. A grin tugged at the corners of my lips.
“There we are. How was your talk with Sheldon?”
“Nope,” I replied and strode past him to leave the room.
“Forest,” he half-whispered, half-yelled.
I was out the back door before he could catch up with me. Hartley wouldn’t follow. He had too much to do. I expected texting later. And questions. So many questions.
Inside my apartment, I sat on the couch and wondered when I should talk to Sheldon. The longer I waited, the worse I’d feel. Maybe we could be friends. It was better than nothing. However, friends didn’t typically lust after each other. Hartley had said Sheldon watched me. My brother was trying to be amatchmaker. That wasn’t enough though. Not for me to pour my heart out.
Baby steps, right? There was no need to make big leaps. At least not yet. I wasn’t ready for that.
5
SHELDON
