They were also the guys that didn't seem to catch a clue when women were telling them, 'No thanks.'
"Uh, yeah. Are you..." He looked around and saw some decent lights along the street, but not a lot of people. Okay, no people besides them. "Are you okay with me walking you home?"
Her smile dimmed and her eyes narrowed at him. "Uh... yeah?"
Kaleo opened his mouth to say something and then closed again. "I think... I have a younger sister."
She frowned a little at that, the smooth skin of her forehead furrowed a little. "Okay?"
"So... I hear a lot about creepy guys."
Lexie's smile was mixed with something that looked... Confused?
"And I... I don't want to be one of those creepy guys."
Her lips pursed a little. "I don't think you're creepy."
"Or... pushy."
She tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms across her chest. "I didn't think you were... pushy."
He nodded, slowly, trying to wrap his thoughts around the situation.
"And I don't usually spend time with women beyond family or at work, so this is all... new."
Lexie's shoulders shook and she lifted a hand to cover her mouth.
"And..." He grimaced. "I'm overthinking."
She nodded and let out a breath. "I don't spend much time with guys outside of work and school."
Lexie took a step off of the curb and started to walk across the street, waving her hand for him to follow.
"And if I thought you were being creepy or pushy, I wouldn't have invited you back to my apartment to check the listings."
He had to take an extra step to catch up to her and walk beside her.
"And I might look like I'm a girl from the Midwest who would probably be a little wide-eyed and maybe naive. But both my mom and my dad taught me what to do if a guy made me feel uncomfortable."
"Yeah?" He was smiling then. "What did they teach you?"
She gave him a little sly side-look. "I dunno if I should tell you. Wouldn't that take away the element of surprise?"
He frowned a little. "I guess-"
She clipped him on his arm with a friendly little slug. "My mom told me to go for the throat with keys poking out between my fingers."
Kaleo's eyes widened a little and barely resisted the urge to put his hand up to protect the front of his throat. "That sounds... useful."
They reached the other side of the street, and she went up on the sidewalk a half-step before him.
"And," she slowed her steps, turning so she was walking a little sideways and a little backwards, "my dad told me to go for the nuts."
The grimace on his face was instinctual.
It didn't matter that he didn't have any 'ill intentions' for her.
When a woman threatened a guy's... junk, it was a visceral reaction.
