Page 7 (1/2)
She appears peeved that Cora now has two co off Once she closes the door behind her, I slither around Adam and dart toward the door He quickly follows and hooks his arm around my waist
"Hey!" I whisper-shout at hirabs the sides ofeach other "We’re beyond that, honey" He chuckles softly and I cringe at his arrogance "I’ht You can sleep in my bed and I’ll sleep on the sofa I kno iet your sleep" I narrowto help I swear I’ll keep et to sleep until three or four in theor whatever God-forsaken hour Senia and Eddie tire out Of course, I hardly know this guy other than the fact that he’s extre, and more than a bit persistent He doesn’t strike uy ould force himself on me Plus, it will be convenient not to have to wake up Senia and Eddie when I get ready for our date to laid you’re going to be very disappointed And if you try anything funny, I’ and our date is off Got it?"
He clasps his hands behind his back "I wouldn’t drea to have on our date"
I tossThe ets thrown into ladiator sandals When I co atsoht so you and Eddie can be alone We’re leaving early in thefor whatever he has planned I don’t want to wake you up getting ready"
"You’re spending the night with hi on the sofa"
Saying the words aloud reed to this fiveon my face
"Claire, this is so not like you," she says, rounding the breakfast bar towardoff all her perfectly white teeth, then throws her arms around my shoulders "I’m so proud of you"
I pat her back a few ti deal We’re just hanging out I a with him"
"I know But it’s a start" She kisses my forehead before I leave
My heart pulses in every inch of my body as I climb the steps to Adam’s aparts as I grip the handrail and drag myself up the final step and stand before apartment B I roll my shoulders in an attempt to loosen the tension then take a deep breath and knock
He answers the door i on the other side ih the peephole The senuinely excited and soeapart is still perfectly clean The LCD TV affixed to the wall is set to MTV, but the volu out of place--exceptat the TV "I hate MTV"
"You and I are not going to get along," he says, closing the front door
I don’t need to tell hi MTV for nearly a year I’et past that, not dwell on it
He snatches the rees it to the Discovery Channel "Better?"
I nod and set my backpack on the floor next to the sofa He immediately slides past me and snatches it up "I’ll put that in the bedroom for you Want to come see your room at Hotel Parker?"
"So hospitable," I say as I follow him toward a dark hallway
The hallway is short, just like our apartht switch as we enter his bedroo-sized bed as I look around As expected, his rooh to be a suite in ato cost me?" I ask
He shakes his head "Please don’t say stuff like that There’s only so ood to be able to joke around with hio watch so TV is safer than standing in his bedroo over Bear Grylls and hi out that Bear’s cameraman is the real hero of the show, he turns off the TV and looks at ame," he declares "Question tennis I ask you a question and you ansith a question, but it has to be relevant to what I asked If you break the rhyth a question then you have to answer one question truthfully before the game can continue Are you ready?"
"Leave it to you to find a ga afforded that sao first"
I pull ed as I face hi?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Does it really put you in a shitty mood?"
"Does that concern you?"
"It’s a si at me "You messed up Now you have to answer a question"
I knohat he’s going to ask, but I’ to tell hiaainst the arm of the sofa "When did your last relationship end?"
This isn’t the question I expected, but I’ve co I expect hiet with the loose threads of o"
"Why?"
"Nuh-uh You got your answer Now back to the game"
"If you tell me why then I’ll tell you where I work"
"That’s not an even trade"
He leans forward "I work for ton The company’s been in the family for more than a hundred years so it’s prettyto take over once reen eyes appear darker, harder as he stares at me and I can see that it upsets hi for ive hi I want to tell hi others I want to tell hi selfish decisions