“Well,” Marco says at last, shoving his hands into his pockets like he didn’t almost get us killed. “Sorry I ruined your Valentine’s, Hannah.” His gaze slides to me, sharp and assessing. “Although I don’t really get why you’re so upset when you already have a boyfriend.”
Hannah blushes instantly, pink flooding her cheeks as she looks down and scuffs the toe of her heel against the concrete.
I look away, unable to watch her discomfort at the thought of it.
Me, as her boyfriend.
It shouldn’t bother me, but I can’t help but cringe when she stutters out, “Oh, he…uh, Damian, he’s not my boyfriend. We’re, um, neighbors.” She pauses, then says softly, “Friends. Kinda.”
Friends.
That word hits like a punch to the gut.
My head drops to my chest, and my shoulders slump.
“Really?” Marco’s brows lift as he looks between us, a slow grin spreading across his face. “You might wanna rethink that,” he tells Hannah.
Hannah opens her mouth to respond, but he’s already waving it off, far too cheerful for a man with the Russian Mafia actively hunting him.
“Well,” he says, giving us a lazy salute, “I’ll let you two get back to your veryneighborlyevening.”
He turns to leave, then pauses, his head tilting like a thought just occurred to him.
“Maybe I’ll go apologize to Brenda.” He adds thoughtfully, “I really do like her—”
Hannah’s shoulders soften. A tiny, hopeful smile flickers to life.
“—and she gives the best head.”
The smile vanishes.
The scowl that comes over Hannah’s face is like a thundercloud. “Out,” she snaps, her arm shooting toward the exit. “Get out, Marco, and don’t come back. We never want to see you again.”
Marco grins, utterly unrepentant. He throws me a wink on his way past. “Feeling’s mutual.”
Right before the door swings shut behind him, he tosses over his shoulder, “You know, it’s only ten. There are still a couple of hours of Valentine’s left. You might not want to waste them.”
The door slams shut behind him.
“Hmph,” Hannah mutters. Folding her arms, she glares at the empty space he left behind.
That angry look snaps to me.
“We need to talk.”
My stomach drops to my feet.
Because Hannah—
Hannah’sterrifyingwhen she’s mad.
Chapter 5
Like A Normal Person
Hannah
My mind is running a million miles an hour as we walk up the steps to the fourth floor of our building. So much has happened tonight that I need to process it. Organize it into something rational. Otherwise, I’m worried I’ll erupt all over Damian. Say things I’ll regret. On the other hand, I don’t want to give him some watered-down version of me. Someone who chooses other people’s comfort over their own. I’ve been that woman way too many times before, and I hate her. I’m sick of her.
