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Michael looked toward the street, as if he thought someone might see him standing under my window like freaking Romeo. Some Juliet I made. Hungover and pissed off instead of moon-eyed and sweet.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“No, we don’t. You made yourself perfectly clear last night. Now, let me make myself clear. Screw you.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, and even from a story above him, I could see the way his lashes cast a shadow over the top of his cheekbones. I couldn’t tell if he’d closed them because he was hurt or pissed off. He looked a lot like Nonno when he was trying to hold on to his temper. It almost never worked.
His eyes finally reopened. “I owe you an apology.”
“Well, that’s something,” Kate muttered beside me.
“Yeah, something little,” I said to her before calling down to him, “Too little, too late.” Then I realized his right hand was covered in bandages. “What happened?”
He glanced down at his wounded paw, then shook his head. “Not now. I’m here to apologize.”
“We covered that. What did you do to your hand?”
A frown emerged—one I was starting to recognize. It caused an adorable divot to appear between his dark brows and his jaw to set in a particular way that, when I was close enough to see it, made a muscle tick on the right side. It meant that he was losing patience with my attitude. It also meant I was wearing him down.
Well, good. He deserved a little humility after last night.
“Split my knuckles on some asshole’s jaw after I dropped you off.” He cocked his head. “Dude said the wrong thing about a pink dress. I couldn’t have that.”
“Oh my God, he was defending your honor!” Kate squealed from behind me. “That’s actually kind of romantic.”
“More like barbaric,” I informed her. “Now go away.”
“Not on your life,” Kate said. “This is better than Nonna’s soaps.”
“Lea?”
We both turned back to the window. Michael peered up at us, his expression now wide and open. I should have told him to leave. I should have told him to leave me alone.
But I couldn’t look away.
“Crap,” I muttered. I had a sneaking feeling I was an absolute goner. Especially when he looked at me like that.
“Kate?” Nonna called from outside the door. “I’m bringing up your laundry for you to fold, okay?”
“Noooo,” Kate moaned next to me. “I don’t want to miss the show.”
“Take the laundry and distract her,” I said. “Please, Katie.” Then I called down to Michael. “Wait in the front, all right? I’ll be down. And you can say…whatever it is you need to say.”
With a quick nod, he headed back down the alley.
I closed the window and found my sister grinning at me.
“I knew you liked him,” she said.
“I don’t.” I got off the bed and went to change out of my pajamas. “He’s a Neanderthal, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“A hot Neanderthal, and you totally do. You just grabbed the black pants that make your ass look good.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
I returned said pants to their drawer and went for jeans instead. That, yes, also clung to my butt like a second skin and went perfectly with the pink hoodie I traded for my bathrobe. But I wasn’t going to admit that it was for him any more than were my favorite gold hoops or the way I pulled a few waves out of my top knot to frame my face. I didn’t need to look homeless in front of the neighbors, after all. Or when Michael Scarrone was apparently going to grovel.
Kate laughed as I shoved my feet into my favorite purple Jordans and headed for the door. “Tell him I say hi. Right after you tell him you looooove him.”
