Oscar took a sip of his drink, frowning at me. “What happened to him?”
I blew out a frustrated breath, knowing I was about to sound crazy. “I don’t know.”
Oscar blinked a few times. “You don’t… know?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not crazy. It's just any time I try to ask him questions about his past, he clams up. He gets this faraway look like… like he’s scared.”
“Scared?” Oscar's eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Yes. Like something bad happened to him.”
“Look, I can tell by the way you’re talking that your mind is made up. You’re going to keep dealing with him. But as your friend, I have to tell you to be careful. Don’t get so wrapped up in trying to be there for him that you inadvertently give him your heart and end up hurt.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I was stuck. Oscar was my best friend for a reason. Sometimes I questioned whether he knew me better than I did. I had already started developing feelings for Tech, and they were growing by the day.
I found myself thinking about him constantly. I hadn’t felt this way about a guy… ever, and with no type of physical touch at that. Everything about Tech and me was platonic. It just wasn’t making sense to me. Even though I was pissed at him, I still longed to be with him. It was taking everything in me not to pick up my phone and respond to him.
Oscar was right. I didn’t know what the deal was with Tech and me, but I needed to get a handle on it before I drove myself insane.
Why wouldn’tthis man give up? I thought to myself as I pulled into my parking spot at my apartment. Tech was parked a few spots down in the visitor section. Even with a scowl on his handsome face, he was captivating. He was mounted on his bike with arms folded, looking sexy as sin.
Knowing I could no longer avoid him, I got out of my car. Before I could shut my door, he was already making his way toward me.
“Where have you been?” he asked. His voice had a bit of a growl in it.
I turned around with a raised brow. He had never taken that kind of tone with me. “Why?”
His face scrunched up as he peered down at the takeout bag in my hand. “Were you on a date?” he accused as he took a step toward me.
“And if I was? I’m single, Tech, in case you have forgotten.”
He watched me so intensely that I had to look away. This was a new side to him, and I didn’t know how to take it. Normally, he was like me, upbeat and full of jokes. This Tech was more serious. Almost passionate.
“Why haven’t you replied to any of my texts today?”
I stepped around him, making my way to my apartment. I was tired of playing twenty questions. “Well, like you, I didn’t feel like talking.”
Tech followed behind me. “Don’t tell me this is about breakfast.”
I spun around to face him, pissed that he was acting like him ignoring me wasn’t a big deal. “Are you serious right now? I’m just supposed to act like you treating me as if I were the last person you wanted to talk to was cool. Okay. Fine. But Ima need you to keep that same energy.”
I turned back around and walked even faster. I needed to get away from him. Tech kept up with my strides with ease.
“It wasn’t like that, Will. I knew that if we got to talking, we would naturally fall into a conversation, showing everyone we were close. I couldn’t let that happen. For one, Cara warned all the guys to stay away from the nannies. I don’t know if she will feel a certain way about us hanging out.”
That caught me by surprise. I had no idea about these restrictions. I mean, I understood it. Mixing business with pleasure could definitely get tricky, but that wasn’t the same as merely holding a conversation with each other. But a part of me understood when he said we might have ended up giving each other away. When Tech and I got to talking, we could go for hours, and no one and nothing else would have existed.
Right as I made it to my door, I turned to face him. “If that’s the case, then why are you here?”
He stepped forward, barely leaving any space between us. “Can we go in to talk? Please, Dimples?” His piercing blue eyes stared at me with so much hope that I couldn’t turn him away. It was another reminder of how weak I was for him.
“Fine, but you have five minutes.” I unlocked the door and stepped inside. When Tech tried to walk farther into the apartment, I put up a hand to stop him. “No need to get comfortable. Like I said, you have five minutes.”
His face held so many expressions I couldn’t pinpoint them all. “Since when do we talk to each other like this, Will? I know you’re pissed at me about this morning, and I can admit that I was wrong. I’m dealing with my own demons on this thing happening between us. I just don’t want to bring this to anyone until I can get through a few things first.”
That had me shocked. He basically just admitted his attraction to me. Still, I needed to hear the words out loud. “What exactly is happening between us, Tech?” I crossed my arms with a raised brow.
His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, but he managed to keep his poker face. “I like you, Will. A lot. And I think it's safe to say that you like me too. I want to keep getting to know you, but I’m not ready to talk about this with anyone else. I want things to remain between us.”
