* * *
Kaylin snuggledwith Codex on the bed in the apartment’s back room. The linens were covered in cabbage roses and purple violets, reminding Kaylin of her grandmother’s house upstate. She turned on her laptop—low battery—and cursed when she realized she’d forgotten its cord back at her place. She played an episode ofThe Officeand tried to fall asleep before it ended, but sleeping in a bed that’s not your own with the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on doing whatever sexy men did at night on the other side of the shared wall made sleeping impossible. She put the laptop on the floor and stared at the ceiling.
She considered texting Natalie, but Gavin would probably accuse her of cheating again if she got a text too late in the night. She scrolled Pinterest for costume ideas for the upcoming comic convention, then heard the soft sound of movie explosions through the wall next door. She listened, trying to identify the film. It went quiet. She let her phone dim and closed her eyes, finally drifting into an uneasy sleep.
It wasn’t long before Kaylin startled awake at the sound of gunfire from Rusty’s TV. She sat up, annoyed. It was almost midnight. She threw her legs over the bed and stuffed her feet into her slippers. She scooped Codex off the cover and carried him out into the hall. She felt safer with her cat under her arm.
She knocked lightly on Rusty’s door. Shouts came from the TV and she knocked again, louder. The door swung open.
“What’s wrong?” Rusty filled the doorframe.
“Your television,” Kaylin said, suddenly nervous to tell this mountain of a man to do anything. She shook off her nerves.
“It’s too loud. I have rounds in the morning.”
“Oh.” Rusty ran his hand over his head. “Sorry about that. I was trying to stay awake in case we were followed here. I’ll turn it down. Nice slippers,” he said pointing down at her feet.
Kaylin stared down at the symbol of the Rebel Alliance emblazoned on the toes of her feet. “Thanks. Are you a fan?”
Rusty grinned. “You could say that.”
Without a wall in the way, Kaylin recognized the dialogue in the film Rusty watched. “Winter Soldier?”
Rusty nodded. “I rewatch them in order every year.”
“Me too,” Kaylin said. “Just finished Black Panther not too long ago for the sixteenth time.”
“They’re like comfort food.”
“They inspire me. I always wanted to be a hero,” Kaylin admitted.
“Me too. It’s why I joined the army.”
Kaylin nodded. “Thank you for your service?”
“You’re very welcome.” He crossed his arms, not wanting her to leave. He wanted to grab her and pull her into his apartment, push her up against a wall and hike up her shirt. He wondered if she slept in a bra, if there was anything between him and the round fruits of her breasts besides pilled cotton and a cat. “You still freaked out by all this?” he asked.
She looked at her feet. “Yeah. I was having trouble sleeping.”
“Why don’t you come in,” he said. “We can ‘not sleep’ together.” He regretted that word choice, too.
“Okay,” she said, trying to calm the quiver of excitement in her voice. She felt like she’d just been asked to prom by the hot jock on the football team.
Rusty moved aside and ushered her into his living room. It was in the midst of being remodeled—kitchen cabinets were missing doors and a sawhorse with a toolbox sat in the back corner of the room. Other projects waited in various stages of completion. Kaylin would have liked to see him working in here, shirtless with a tool belt slung low on his waist, hammering at things. Her heart fluttered.This isn’t a date, she told herself.It’s business.
“This must be the first phase of your plan to steal my cat,” she said, sinking into the corner of the couch.
“Busted.” He sat in the other corner and put his feet up on the coffee table. He handed her a throw pillow. “You can fall asleep, if you want.”
“You’d like that,” she said, stroking Codex’s back.
Rusty smiled, pressing play on the film. Codex stood up on Kaylin’s lap and stretched, then walked across the couch to Rusty’s lap. He circled into a ball and lay down.
“Traitor,” Kaylin said.
“Victory,” Rusty grinned.
Kaylin tried to keep herself from smiling. She always chuckled like a fool when she liked someone. She propped the pillow under her chin and closed her eyes, listening to the movie.
