Page 2 of A Bossy Surprise

“I don’t hate you. I just don’t like it when you insult me.”

He sits up and folds his legs into a pretzel and faces me. “When have I ever insulted you?”

“You just called me pathetic and said I’m a hermit.”

“Woah…” He puts his hands up. “First of all, I never said you’re pathetic, and secondly, I used the word hermit as a descriptor. I didn’t mean it negatively. You’re a homebody, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Okay…” is all I say because I don’t know how else to respond.

He brushes away a few curls that have fallen into his eyes. “Have you spent all these years thinking I’ve been picking on you?”

I shrug. “Well, you’re an asshole, just generally. So you can see how I got confused.”

He chuckles. All of a sudden the sound isn’t as grating.

Instead it causes a shiver to run down my spine.

“I wouldn’t say I’m an asshole, and even if I were, I would never purposely try to offend anyone in your family. All of you, your parents, your sisters, your brother, and sometimes even you have been good to me. I don’t take that for granted.”

Although I don’t know all the details, Adams’s home life has been a little precarious. I know he comes from money, and that his parents divorced when he was very young. His mother is from here and came from humble beginnings. That’s why she moved back to Montpelier when the divorce was finalized.

Now that I’ve got him talking, he’ll probably tell me if I ask, but I can tell he would rather not talk about it. So I don’t pry.

“What are you doing in here? Hiding from the scores of girls on your roster? I’m sure any one of them would lose their minds if you offered to give them a ride on your hog.”

A ruckus laugh bursts out of Adam.

This is the first time I’ve heard Adam truly laugh. Even with Lucas, he’s always a little bit guarded. That’s not the case now. He seems to be enjoying my company.

“My hog? What am I? In a biker gang?”

I shrug and smile. “I don’t know what you do in your free time.”

“Well, no. I’m not in a biker gang, and I’m not hiding from anyone. I’m just a little overstimulated. So I thought I’d find a quiet place to distress. Maybe watch an episode or two of anime.”

“Oh really? Which anime did you have in mind?”

He raises an eyebrow as if to say,what do you know about anime?

Regardless, I stare him down until he answers, “Death Note.”

“Oh, I love that one.”

His eyebrows disappear behind the curly hair hanging over his forehead. “You knowDeath Note?”

“Yeah, I do. Why is that so surprising?”

“I don’t know. You just don’t seem the type.”

I pause for a bit, and then say, “Well, you’re right. I didn’t naturally come to anime, but living with Lucas…”

Adam Laughs. “Yeah, that’s exactly how I got into it too. He never stops talking about it.”

We stare at each other for a while, and I can almost feel something between us.

I must be imagining things.

Is Adam flirting with me right now?