Mr.we’ll never be friendsshouldn’t care what I’m wearing. Nope. Not one bit.
My palms sweated as I stared at the opening in my door, eyeing his very shut bedroom that wasn’t inviting. What did I say?
Oh, hello there, are you okay? Do you need help?
I snorted. Our situation wasn’t traditional. I’d walked in on him yanking one, and he’d overheard my plans to make my ex regret ever hurting me. This tension was nothing compared to those situations, yet it felt like a lot. More personal, somehow. Butterfly wings flittered in my stomach as I tiptoed toward his door. It seemed like he’d hung up. There were no more angry sounds. My poor lip hurt from the anxious nibbling, and I exhaled. This was silly! Being nervous was ridiculous! I faced down enemies on the field without breaking a sweat and yet this boy had me anxious? Unacceptable. My mother didn’t raise me to let grumpy attractive men make me worried.
Moving my hand to knock on the door, I got about an inch away from the wood before the door flew open.
“Oh, hi, hey hello!” I jumped back, clutching my chest. My heart felt like a jackhammer against my ribs.
“Lorelei.” His jaw tightened, and his brown eyes narrowed, like he was angry at me. “What areyoudoing?”
“Uh, well, funny you should ask.” I let out an awkward chuckle, which wasn’t funny at all. My usual confidence disappeared around him. Instead, I became a dork, unsure of myself. It was his eyebrows. “Are you alright?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He crossed his thick arms and leaned against the wall. His dark brows furrowed, and there was no amount offriendlyon his face. His muscles were all tensed on his arms, his dang jaw working back and forth.
He encapsulated the perfect description of the wordanger.
“Our walls are thin, remember?” I tilted my head to the side, making my eyes go big.
“Your point.”
Okay, so he was doubling down on this mad situation. I mimicked his stance on my own door, eyed him up and down, and repeated my question. “Are you alright? You sounded upset on the phone.”
He huffed. “I’m not upset.”
“Monroe.” I pinched my nose, irritation dancing along my neck and making it heat.Why did I think this was a good idea?Might as well follow through. “Stop being a pain in the ass for no reason. What’s going on?”
“None of your business.” He scowled and went back into his room, blocking me out from whatever was going on in his mind. That was his prerogative, which fine. Fine by me.
But it stung a little to have him shut me out like that, like Monday hadn’t happened between us at all. Lesson learned. I’d let grumpy Monroe suffer in peace. Plus, he was rude. I went through every memory I had of him, and in ninety percent of them, he’d been like this with me. One night was a fluke, so it was foolish to think things were different.Come on, Lo. Be smarter.
My marketing plan called my attention again, and I glared at Luca’s door, flipping him off for good measure.Take that, grump face.As I turned, a creak caught my attention, and Luca returned, his face unreadable, almost like he was lost.
No frown lines, no softness, no anger. Just… blank. It made me want to do a dance or sing or be goofy just to see him smile.
He held up both hands in the air, like a shrug, before sighing. “I’m sorry, Lorelei. I shouldn’t have been upset with you. You did nothing wrong. You were making sure I was all right, which was nice of you.”
I arched a brow, my pulse spiking at the intensity on his face. An apology—either good or bad—was still an apology, and the features on my face relaxed. He didn’t exactly seem approachable or wanting to have a heartfelt convo about what made him happy or sad, so I responded with a mere “Fine.”
He ran a hand over his face, letting out a garbled groan. He parted his lips, closed them, then stared down the hallway. “It’s… I don’t talk about her a lot.”
I nodded, desperate to know who theherwas in the sentence, but the uncertainty on his face was evident. He seemed at war with himself. Should he or shouldn’t he tell me? He adjusted the sleeve on his left forearm, rolling it up before he faced me again. The line disappeared between his eyebrows, and his eyes softened.
“It’s my grandma.”
I dug my toes into the ground, my muscles tensing with worry. “Is she okay?”
“Physically? Yes. She’s stable now, just unable to live alone.” A slight smile formed on his lips as he stared beyond my shoulder. “The woman’s attitude is relentless, and she’s feistier than ever. Almost a pain in the ass, actually. It’s just… the facility she lives in isn’t great.”
“What do you mean?” I tilted my head to the side.
“They are technically fine, but the place is falling apart. My grandma is tough and refuses to complain. She once broke her foot and told people it was aslightinconvenience.” He laughed, quick and short. Like a clap of thunder. “She also told me ginger ale cures every sickness, so I know she’s full of shit sometimes.”
“She sounds awesome.” A flicker of a smile danced on my lips.
“She is the best. Strongest person I know. She raised me. I—” He paused, his gaze narrowing on me. “Not a lot of people know this.”
