Page 28 of The Addict

I needed to know more.

Hell, I was in a stranger’s shower, asking him to stand guard for me.

“Noah,” I called, “I want to ask you some things.”

This got his attention. He took a glance over his shoulder in my direction. His foot tapping stopped. I was confident at this point that the heat of the water shielded me from full exposure, so I continued with my shower, lathering my body, removing what felt like layers of grime on my flesh.

“Here’s my argument: You’ve seen me completely naked almost, yet I barely know anything about you.” I just threw it out there; I knew he was thinking it.

He chuckled, angling himself backwards in the chair so that he was closer to the side opening of the shower. He seemed more relaxed now. “Shoot.”

“How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“Me too. Well, I’ll be twenty later this year,” I said with a shrug, like he could see.

“Cool.”

I was relieved that the sound of pouring water filled the awkward silence between us. I seated myself on the shower bench to wash my legs and arms, bringing me closer to him. Right now, the only thing separating us was the shower glass wall, and I could practically feel his body behind me.

“Favorite things?” I continued as I lathered.

“Light. My mother’s cooking. Movies.” His answers were short and to the point. I wondered if he was answering honestly.

“What kinds of movies?”

“Action. Maybe a little horror now and then.”

“Do you sleep?”

His neck turned, and I knew he was looking at me through the glass. “What kind of question is that? I’m not a vampire.”

“Just trying to see if I could catch you off guard.” My gaze found his through the ever shrinking barrier.

He grinned and my heart skipped. “Impossible,” he said smugly.

In an attempt to hide my own eagerness for his response to the next question, I got back up to rinse.

“Girlfriend?”

This time he actually laughed aloud, and I cringed, wondering if I had crossed a line. Not very subtle.

“Damn, you ask a shit ton of questions, when is it my turn?”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing what I hoped was conditioner before adding it to my hair. “That wasn’t an answer,” I retorted.

“I am single.” I heard him say, and hints of humor still remained in his tone.

After a deep breath, I prepared for the last thing I had on my mind. This was what I wanted to know more so than anything else I had asked him previously.

“What’s the whole relationship deal with…” I lowered my voice as though someone could potentially hear me outside the bathroom, “...Silas?”

He didn’t answer that one right away. Maybe he was considering what to say.

Or how he’d lie.

“I wouldn’t call it a relationship,” at last he chimed in. “When two people are in love and committed to each other, they are in a relationship. I don’t love Silas Thorne.”