I almost laughed. I sniffled and wiped my face with the tissue he gave me. “You can’t tell me to ‘control myself.’ It doesn’t work that way.”
“You’re supposed to do what I say,” he said, snatching the tissue away from me and dabbing at my cheeks a little more forcefully than necessary with a frown.
That made me crack a small, pitiful smile. “Who said that?”
He met my eyes. “I did.”
I pressed my lips together. “That’s convenient.”
Kulti reached back and grabbed more toilet paper. “You’re a mess,” he said, continuing his cleanup process. “I didn’t take you to be a crybaby.”
“I’m not.” I tried to snatch the tissue away from him, but he held his hand out of reach. I stretched, and he easily pulled his hand further out of my grasp. “I can wipe my own face off.”
He smacked my hand away. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to,” he grumbled, returning to dabbing at me.
“You know, the world doesn’t revolve around what you do ordon’t want to do,” I said as he rubbed a little too hard under my nose, making me wince.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “I’m not used to this.”
“You’ve never had to clean off a girl’s face before?”
He pulled back to observe his work. “Never.”
I let out a deep sigh, eased by his admission. “In that case, thank you for the honor.”
Kulti didn’t say anything; instead he put a hand on each cheek and tipped my head back. I had never been more aware of not having makeup on or looking like hell than I did right then. The man, who had dated supermodels, actresses, and probably a whole bunch of women with perfect bodies, didn’t comment on my freckles, the bags under my eyes, or the scars I had.
He finally dropped his hands and gave my thighs a pat with a long, deep exhale. “Let’s go downstairs.”
“I’ll meet you in a minute,” I said.
An exasperated breath later, he’d taken hold of my hands and pulled me up to my feet. “No. You’re fine.”
“Rey, seriously, give me a minute.” I buckled my knees so he couldn’t drag me along.
With one yank, he pulled me forward. “So that you can cry more? No. Come. I have the coffee you like.”
I sniffled, and he gave me a dirty look in return. Why did I even bother? “You’re a bossy bitch, you know that?” I asked him even as I let him lead me out of the darkened bathroom.
“You’re a pain in my ass, do you know that?” he shot back.
I snorted as we went down the stairs one after the other. “I used those exact same words to describe you to Franz, buddy.”
The German turned to peek at me over his shoulder. “Another thing we have in common.”
“Ha. You wish.”
A snicker came out of his mouth, but he didn’t argue anymore. We found Franz in the kitchen sitting on a stool, looking at his phone. He glanced up and immediately frowned.
“I’m fine,” I said before he said anything. “I really am; I’m just being a baby.” Even saying it as an excuse did nothing to lessen thebolt of disappointment that shot straight through my heart.Theyaregoingtotrademe.
But in the back of my head, Kulti’s voice reminded me that it was only if I let them.
Fuck me.
“I didn’t mean to make you upset,” Franz interjected quickly. “Please forgive me.”
“No, no way. There’s nothing to forgive. Thank you for telling me. I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed. I guess I don’t handle getting the shaft well.” They both looked at me over my word choice. “I don’t like to lose, and I feel like I’m losing,” I explained.
