“Yes, the wallet is mine. The money isn’t.” I have no idea where it came from.
“I mean, it’s in your wallet. Possession is ninety percent of the law or some shit. So, if you ask me, it’s yours.” He shrugs. “What time do you need to be at work?”
“Um, twelve,” I tell him.
“What time do you finish?”
“Seven.”
“Okay, we’ll go to your apartment. You can tell the guys what you want packed and how, and then I’ll drop you off at this diner and come back at seven to pick you up,” Neo says like it’s a done deal.
What? No.
“Um. I can’t move in with you, Neo,” I whisper.
“Why not?”
“Because I just met you yesterday. We don’t know each other, and there are probably a million other logical reasons why not,” I say.
“You’re right. There are a million reasons you shouldn’t move in with me. But there are also a million why you should. None of the reasons matter, Caitlyn. What matters is what you want, what you truly want. Not what you think you should want, or what society thinks you should want. What do you want?” Neo’s eyes bounce between me and the road in front of us.
“No one has ever asked me what I wanted before…”
“I’m asking you,” he urges.
“What happens if I tell you I really don’t want to move in with you?”
“I’ll make it my life’s mission to change your mind,” he says. “I can be persuasive when I want something, Caitlyn.”
“And you want me?” I ask him. “To live with you, I mean.”
“I want you,” he clarifies.
He doesn’t know me, or the baggage I come with. “I don’t think you would want me if you really knew me. Also, what happens when you get bored? How many women have you had live with you?”
“Zero. I have never wanted another person to live with me before,” Neo says. “I’ve never had a woman in my home before.”
Why me? I’m no one special. And look at the man. He could have anyone he wanted.
“Can I have more than five minutes to think about it?” I close my eyes and hold my breath while I wait for his answer.
“You can,” he says almost instantly. “I’m not kidnapping you. I’m never going to force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
“Thank you.” I don’t believe him. In my experience, if I don’t give him what he wants, he’s going to take it anyway.
When we get to my building, Neo stops out front. “Wait for me to open your door,” he says before he jumps out of the car.
There are four men standing outside. Neo stops to talk to them, and then they all nod their heads and walk away. When he opens my door, I look down the street.
“Do you know them?” I ask him.
“They work for me. They were here to pack your things and move them to my house, but you want more time to decide so I told them the move was on hold… for now,” he explains.
“I… thank you.”
Neo wraps his hand around mine. “Let’s get you dressed. I hate that you’re naked on the sidewalk.”
“I’m not naked.” I laugh. I’m wearing his sweatshirt, which reaches my knees. I’m very covered.
