He didn’t like that, I could tell by the way his eyes suddenly glowed for a split second, but he kept his mouth closed. “No one is going to kill you except maybe me.”
I didn’t mean to snort, but it still surprised me when he went dark on me. “Somehow that’s strangely comforting.”
“I’ve been known to be comforting.”
“Probably when you’re telling someone their death will be quick and painless.” I almost laughed, but I was still overwhelmed and hurt and tired and a little scared, to be honest. The future had that effect on you. At least it did on me. Regardless of what he said too, this all still felt like unsteady ground.
What if he changed his mind again? What if someone pissed him off and we had another argument?
His mouth twitched, but his eyes were serious. “Somebody made me mad, and it had nothing to do with you.”
“Who made you mad?” I asked him, going for it.
His eyes flicked up toward the ceiling briefly.“My family. My elders.”
I opened my mouth and then closed it.
He’d said we had ancestors. That some of the Atraxian bloodlines had died off. How long had they been here? There was so much I didn’t know… not that it really mattered, but it would be neat to know about where some of my family had come from, since I didn’t know much in the first place.
That made me sad. I opened the bag of Cheetos and held it out toward him. He took one, then I took one, and we both ate our pieces, watching each other the whole time. Each of us expecting something different, probably.
Alex held out his hand, and I tipped the bag in his direction again. He took two before asking, “We’re good?”
I raised both shoulders then nodded.
“You won’t sleep on the floor again?”
Why was he so hung up on that? I shook my head.
“You’ll ask for what you need?”
I nodded. Practical and logical were my middle names.
“Say it.”
He wassucha pain in the ass.
But he really was an honorable one.
I rolled my eyes, leaned forward, and slipped my arms around his waist instead. Then I did the unthinkable; I hugged him close. I tucked my head and pressed my cheek against his hard chest. His arms didn’t wrap around me, but at some point, something heavy palmed the back of my head.
And just like that, I rocked back and lifted my chin at him, taking in the stunned expression on his face. “Yes, best friend number 20, I’ll sleep on a bed and ask you for what I need.” I paused. “But I’m serious, you hurt my feelings again and I’m out of here. Then I’ll just have to add you to my list of people I’m going to haunt if I die a tragic death.”
Alex looked at me for a long, long moment. “It annoys me when you’re fucking cute.”
Was he high? I had to keep him in perspective. Keep everything he was saying and doing in perspective. We were… whatever we were. I was here because of the things that had happened that I didn’t totally understand yet and was too tired to try and process.
And maybe he was just sucking up to me because he knew I was one wrong comment away from poltergeisting his ass in the future.
The sides of his mouth curved, and he surprised me by reaching forward and tugging at a lock of hair tucked behind my ear.
I held very, very still. “What’s with all the sudden touching?” I asked cautiously.
“I don’t mind touching,” he said, giving it another tug like he’d done it a hundred times before.
“Since when?”
“Always.”
