Doctor B peered at me as I took a deep breath of musky air to settle my nerves. I still couldn’t remember Joon’s voice correctly, and my heart ached at the lost detail. Leo didn’t have his back, after all.
Don’t,I chided myself.Don’t do that. That’s not fair when you don’t know the full story.
“He’s…a coworker,” I ground out with a shaky smile. “New job, no biggie though; it shouldn’t affect my work here too much.”
He paled. “You’re not leaving us, are you?”
I pat him on the back, gently urging him toward his own car.Awayfrom the living flame that looked as if he was ready to ignite everything in the surrounding area.
“No, no, definitely not. Just something short term, kinda hard to get out of. I’ve got to go though, okay? Drive safe.”
Doctor B pouted before nodding. “Alright, just let me know if you need anything. I don’t want anyone stealing you from us.”
Luckily, Leo would rather dispose of me.
He walked away, dragging his feet while grumbling to himself about ‘losing all the good ones’. Leo’s eyes still hovered on Doctor B, and my brow twitched as I forced an almost pleasant smile onto my lips.
“Who’s that, your boyfriend?” His voice was graveled. “I didn’t realize you were into older guys.”
Smoke poured from his nose as he breathed out, and it wasn’t from his cigarette. The parking garage always had an eerie chill, but now, it was drenched with a heatwave. Leo was undoubtedly pissed off about something.
I need to invest in a fire extinguisher. Immediately.
“That’s my boss, you creep. And he’s not my type,” I scoffed.
He let out a harsh laugh. “I didn’t know that bosses walked their employees back to their cars—or bikes.” His head tilted back as he glanced at me. “Whatisyour type?”
I lifted the keys from my bag and waved him off. “None of your business. What are you, jealous?”
Leo sputtered, as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “I don’t get jealous, especially oversloths.”
I gave him my best you-can’t-be-serious face. “Minnie told me to be nice to you. I’m trying; really, truly trying, to be nice. Tell me why you’re here, and let’s get this over with.”
It had to be for the VIA. What I didn’t understand was his strange curiosity with Doctor B, or why he was putting off heat like he was preparing for a fight. Leo was always confident, always spat back at me andattemptedto put me in my place. This was…different. The energy had shifted, and I didn’t know how to interact with him.
We didn’t do small talk—Leo and I spoke exclusively with sarcasm and disdain.
“Who’s Minnie, your therapist?” he chuckled.
“Yes.”
There was no bite to my answer, only an honest admittance. Maybe Minnie was right. If I didn’t engage, or raise the bar for an argument, how would he react?
His lips fell around his cigarette as his face went pale. “Shit, Alex, I’m sorry?—”
It brought me a strange sense of glee. Seeing him shocked, or vulnerable, was a rarity.
“Therapy isn’t something to be ashamed of, don’t be sorry for that.” I buckled my backpack around my waist, tugging at the straps as I measured my words. “Just be sorry for thinking it is, and using it as a punchline. Honestly, you could use some.” He went rigid, and I rolled my eyes. “That’s not an insult, just an observation.”
Leo took a long pull of his cigarette before leaning forward to blow it away from me. “Right. Because she told you to play nice.”
I threw my head back as I held onto my bike and let out a dramatic groan. “I do not have the energy for you today. What do you want, Leo?”
He shrugged, and I saw that twinkle in his eye, the one that told me he was going to make my life difficult. “I want to know why you’re not wearing riding gear, and I want to know why you sped away from me that night. I thought I was going crazy, but itwasyou, wasn’t it?”
There was something inside me that wanted to put on my helmet, and then bash my head against the brick wall. Something that wanted to tie the bricks that fell out around my ankles, and sink myself into the ocean. But I didn’t do that, because Minnie would be disappointed in me, and frankly, drowning sounded like it really sucked.
Instead, I leaned in. The scent of smoke and musky cologne made me want to take a bigger breath. I hated that Ididn’thate it. Apparently, I was one of those non-smokers who actually enjoyed the smell of cigarettes. Go figure.
