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“What made Blaze decide to turn things around?” I ask, wanting to soak up as much knowledge as I can. The doorbell rings, and he moves my feet before jumping up.

“One second.” He goes to the door and comes back a few seconds later with our food, setting it on the coffee table, and handing me a slice. He grabs one for himself before sitting back down again.

“About six years ago, a lot of shit went down, and it was just too much for all of them. Blaze had lost touch with his son, and he’d been shot during a run. One of the other guys went to prison, and he’s still there. Like everything just came to a head, and Blaze couldn’t do it anymore.”

I nod, studying him as he tells the story. “Why did you join?”

He shrugs and looks away. “Blaze got involved in helping women escape abusive relationships, and I liked what they were doing. I didn’t have much else at that point in my life. They became my family.”

My heart hurts as I think about him all alone in the world. “You don’t have any family?”

He turns back to me, giving me a soft smile that makes me sigh. “No, I’ve got my mom and dad but they’re separated, and they never had any more kids so it was kind of lonely.”

“I’m an only child, too, so I get it. Did you grow up around here?”

He nods. “Yeah, born and raised. I left for a little bit after high school but then I came back. This was home, you know?”

“I grew up in Texas, and I don’t know if I would go back now. I came out here for school because I wanted to be on my own but I fell in love with it.”

He smiles. “I’m kind of glad that you did.”

I blush and look away from him, my heart racing. God, this is exciting and terrifying all rolled into one, and I don’t know what feeling to latch on to. Maybe I should just go with it and enjoy the ride. “Me, too,” I whisper.

Storm reaches out, gently tapping under my chin with his fingers, and I look over at him. “Tell me more.”

It’s not a question but even that doesn’t bother me. I like that he wants to know more about me. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“Well, that’s a super vague request. Can you narrow it down for me?”

He laughs and takes a bite of his pizza as he thinks. The scar in his eyebrow catches my eye, and I reach toward him, trailing my finger over it.

“How did you get this?”

He watches me for a second. “Got in a fight.”

I finish my pizza and toss the crust down on the open pizza box before pulling my knees to my chest and looking at him. He glances over at me out of the corner of his eye and grins.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, your friend the other day, the one that walked in on us in the kitchen…” he prompts.

“Izzy?”

“Yeah. She always that forward?”

I laugh and nod. “Um, yes.”

“Great,” he mumbles, and he seems upset by that fact.

“Did it bother you?” I ask, and he sighs, turning to look at me. He just watches me for a couple moments before shaking his head.

“No, it didn’t.”

An awkward silence falls over us, and he grabs another slice of pizza, asking me if I want one. I shake my head, and as he starts eating, I sigh.

“Okay, your turn. Tell me something about you.”

He smirks. “That’s a super vague request. Narrow it down.”