“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, dear Victor.” She touched his arm the same way she always touched mine. He looked like he wanted to pull it away but he didn’t want to seem rude.
“It’s really not a problem,” he grumbled.
My heart pounded in my throat. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a burden.”
Victor shook his head. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure,” he growled. “After my shift is over, we’ll leave. Make sure you have everything you need.”
“What a kind young man you are,” Doris went on. “Oh my goodness, this is such a relief!”
Before I could protest or even thank him, Victor groaned and took off. Doris was still fawning over him out of the door. I don’t know if it was my imagination or not, but I think I saw the slightest tinge of pink on his cheeks.
“This will be good for him,” Nick said with a smile once Victor had left. Dan nodded.
“It’ll take his mind off today, at least,” he said. “I was afraid he wouldn’t even come into work.”
“He’s not that like,” Nick said, shaking his head. “He forces everything down. Bottles it up.”
I listened to their conversation intently. Were they talking about Victor? What wastoday? I desperately wanted to ask, but decided to hold my tongue.
The door shot open, cutting off Nick and Dan’s hushed conversation, and Victor bellowed out an order.
“What are you both waiting around for? The bay and the kitchen need cleaning! It’s a fucking disaster in there!”
“Oh, shit,” Dan muttered. He and Nick shot out of their seats and ran.
Victor growled and rolled his eyes. Then he shot me a glance. “Do you want to stay here?” he asked.
I shuffled in my seat. “I don’t know.”
Victor shrugged. “Whatever’s fine with me, as long as you don’t wander off by yourself. But you’re welcome to come.”
“Thanks.”
There was a pause. Then Victor cleared his throat and turned to leave.
“Wait!” I cried.
He looked back at me.
“I – I’ll come with you,” I said.
Victor nodded. “Alright, then.” The slightest hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “Welcome to the team, Liam.”
4
Victor
“Areyou really sure this is alright?” Liam asked. The elevator stopped and we got out on my floor. I watched his nose wrinkle slightly at that old apartment smell that I’d grown used to – fond of, even.
I growled. “For god’s sake, if you ask that one more time…”
“Sorry,” he said, holding his arm. “I just don’t want to be a bother.”
I jingled around my pocket for my keys. “You’re not. I’m the one who offered in the first place.” I turned the keys and opened the door. Kicking off my boots, I held the door open for him. He poked his head in shyly, like a deer exploring its surroundings for the first time. I almost rolled my eyes. For a bear shifter he sure didn’t act like one.
He stepped inside and removed his shoes, which I now noticed were dirty and full of holes. The outer rubber trim was worn down, and the presumably once-bright red canvas had lost its sharp color. His socks were similarly dirty looking, and he grimaced as he put his foot down on the laminate floor, as if he would taint it.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “It’s fine.”
