“Because you laughed so hard you nearly cracked a rib in September when Ms. Booker made the same assumption.”
“Oh. You are correct,” Connor said. He sounded genuinely surprised, so I peered back at him over my shoulder. He had a hand carelessly resting on the banister as we climbed, and his forehead was wrinkled in thought. When he noticed my attention he gave me a roguish grin. “You never know, Hors d’ oeuvre. Maybe I’ve fallen for you.”
“Never gonna happen,” I said with absolute conviction.
Connor took two steps at a time, so he was shoulder to shoulder with me instead of behind. “You said that so fast, like you didn’t even have to think about it.”
“Because I didn’t.”
“And you spoke with such certainty.”
“Because I am certain,” I said.
Connor wrapped an arm around my shoulder. My protective instincts stayed dormant—it was Connor after all—but I knew better than to take his touchy-feely-ness seriously. “Please. You cannot know my heart—I am the mysterious night!” Connor declared. “What if I’ve fallen madly in love with you for your cute quirks like…your bad cooking skills and odd obsession of running with a weighted backpack?”
“I know you haven’t because you hold back.” I shrugged. “I mean, I do to a certain extent too.”
Connor let his arm slide off my shoulders. “You’re no fun—you could just play along with me for the humor of it.”
So, he doesn’t deny holding back? That must mean he’s satisfied with our current level of friendship despite his joke.
That was fine. Connor had always been clear with his boundaries. There was a greedy part of me that wasdisappointed, but that was hardly surprising considering how much I enjoyed hanging out with him.
Either way, it didn’t matter. I had a few months before I could tell Connor I was a slayer. This was an easier, more comfortable level of friendship to maintain.
It was.
“What if another supernatural came in and swept you off your feet?” Connor asked as we cleared the last few stairs, reaching the landing to our floor.
I snorted. “No supernatural is ever going to do any sort of sweeping with me, romantic or otherwise.”
“Don’t say that, Meal. That’s a terrible attitude to have.” Connor slipped the backpack off and offered it to me.
I glumly took it. “It doesn’t matter because it won’t happen.”
Everyone is way too scared of me since I’m a slayer. Not that I can blame them.
“I’m… too much,” I concluded. “I’ve told you before—I can’t even make new friends; do youreallythink I could launch a successful romantic relationship?”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He playfully tugged on one of my red curls, but the teasing lilt had left his voice. “You’re entertaining—which can mean a lot to the right individual.”
For a second—for a moment that passed so fast I almost didn’t catch it myself—I felt sad that Connor—handsome, charismatic and playful—could see me, could see the value in me, and he didn’t want anything more than our easy friendship.
Inwardly scowling, I flicked the wayward feeling aside, disappointed with myself. Connor had set the boundary—and it was one I knew was best for me as I was prioritizing friends and keeping my family secret. I was going to follow the boundary and not waste time wishing on dreams.
Even more important than wasting my time and energy, I was not going to be a bad friend, especially since Connor meant so much to me.
This is why I need to keep practicing, so I can build more friendships and not be so reliant on the few I have.
Regaining control over myself, I grinned at my friend. “In that case, isn’t it a good thing, then, that we’re neighbors?”
Connor blinked. “Pardon?”
I fished my keys out of my pocket and opened my apartment door. “Because you find me entertaining?” I reminded him.
“I do find you entertaining. Allthe time.” His usual smirk returned and he repeated. “Allthe time.”
A few days passed—Igot a weekend off and spent some time working on my paper for Sarge, something I was starting to attack with a frantic energy since November was just around the corner and I had the distinct feeling I was not handling the assignment the way Sarge wanted me to.
