Stupid dickhead. Are you gonna ask for her birth certificate next? My cast clipped me on the forehead as I delivered a palm to the face.
“Don’t beat yourself up. You can ask me whatever you want, and if I don’t want to answer, I won’t. Simple.”
The tension drained from my muscles. Beautiful, smart, and no bullshit drama. My smile was uncontrollable.
“I’m twenty-four.” She shrugged her stiff shoulders.
Twenty-four. She started working there when she was nineteen?
“Next obvious question. Did you do summer semesters, or did you start your schooling at the age of two?” Fuck, there I go again.
“I did summer semesters. I graduated a year early, and finished high school a year early, too.”
Damn. She was a genius and I was a dumb schmuck.
The wooden spoon in my hand stirred itself. My attention was elsewhere. My chest expanded as I took a deep breath, in an attempt to inflate my shrinking ego.
“What made you want to be a librarian?”
“Any librarian will tell you that it’s because they love books, or the search for knowledge. Something noble like that, right? I just wanted a job where I could tell people to shut up, spend my day putting things in order, and charge exorbitant fines when people did the wrong thing. Parking Inspector was my next choice.”
The laugh exploded from the depths of my belly. She was sharp. I noticed her mouth quirk up at the corner, though she pretended to be engrossed in the task of clearing the bench. The sight awakened something much further north than my crotch. My heart stuttered. I thought I might have peeled back the first layer of the onion, and I felt like I’d just conquered a small country.
“Why were you looking for a new place?”
“My ex-housemate is the wicked witch of the east.” She smirked.
I loved her sense of humour. She didn’t have a clue how sexy she was. She didn’t try to hide it, and she wasn’t shy, she just … didn’t see herself that way. I could guarantee that every male within a ten-metre radius, saw her that way. I wanted to growl at the thought.
“How did you end up in that situation?”
“Answered an ad.” She looked at me from the corner of her eye, with a raised brow and a grin.
“Gotta be careful of these people that advertise for someone to live with. Lotta psychos out there.”
“Yes. Yes, there are.”
Her laugh trickled out across my skin, warming me down to the bone.
She was obviously coming out of a bad situation with the last housemate, but she didn’t seem to be curious about me.
“You’re not going to ask me anything?”
She shook her head, eyes dropping to the bench. Her cheek caved in, as if she was biting it. I didn’t know if I should be offended.
“Wow. For all you know, I could be just as wicked as your ex-landlady.”
“You’re not particularly tidy. You probably ran around picking up stuff before I arrived, and hadn’t dusted in months. You have oodles of artistic talent, and you’re good with your hands. Handy with a few tools, I’d say. Probably been renovating the house on your own. You work hard because you need to push yourself. You’re easy-going, but loyal and protective. You love having people around you, but for some reason you’ve been lonely and displaced. There’s also a sadness surrounding you. Your sister’s death hit you hard, and you feel responsible.”
Fuck. That was bang on the money. She really was a genius. I can’t even … What do I do with that?
I felt her tense up beside me, peeking at me nervously. She was worried she’d offended me. I thought she’d floored me before. Twice. Now, I might’ve been slammed through to the core of the Earth. No one had ever seen through me so completely, without really knowing me. I was absolutely certain that she was the one for me. I couldn’t pick one flaw. If she told me she was a drug smuggler or a sadistic dominatrix, I would bow down and do whatever she needed me to. I would literally be pussy whipped, and I’d be freakin’ happy about it … because it was her. How the hell was I ever going to get her to want me in the same way?
Ronnie
Silence.
Oh crap. Me and my big mouth. I chanced a glimpse. His eyes had glazed over, fixed on the wall in front. But his hand white knuckled the spoon, continuing to stir the rice. Way to kill the mood, Ronnie. Please, don’t kick me out.
I’d resisted the urge to hide in my room when he said his friends were coming over. This was a chance for a new start. I wanted this to feel like home. I refused to hide away any longer. Plus, I made a promise to a sad, dead girl that I intend to keep, though I didn’t see how it’d change anything. Blurting out my assessment of him, complete with criticisms, was not the way to go.
It was surprising how easy it was to talk to him. His curiosity was only natural. He’d be sharing his house with me, of course he wanted to know more. What I didn’t expect was the look of awe that came across his face when I exposed a little of my freakishness. He didn’t screw his nose up or make some snide comment. He just … moved on. It made me relax enough to actually crack a joke. And when he laughed, the sound filtered down my neck to my chest. I was glad I wasn’t facing him. Traitorous nipples.
I’d dressed in my skater skirt and a lace, capped-sleeve top for tonight’s event. I liked nice clothes, but only for
