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“No, actually, you don’t,” she said. “I know that because I’ve lived my whole life and never had to fight someone. Physically, I mean. And by the way, it’s pretty great, the no violence thing.”
“I don’t like violence, either,” Griz said. “But if someone comes to hurt someone I care about, I’m not going to let it happen.”
“You mean someone like me?” Becca said.
“Yeah. Someone like you,” Griz said.
Regret suddenly flooded into Becca, filling her up like the cups of wine she’d been guzzling all evening. Poor, big-bearded Griz. So loyal. So nice to her, all of the time, and she’d been looking at him like a piece of gum stuck on her shoe.
“I’m sorry I’m so mean to you, Chewie,” she said.
“You’re not mean to me.”
“Yes I am,” she said. “I call you names, like Chewie, or Wookie.”
“I kind of like it.”
“Well, you should expect more from people. Because you’re a good person and you deserve it.”
“Thanks.”
Becca was quiet for a little while after that, staying inside her thoughts, sipping her wine. This wasn’t so bad, sitting here with Griz and his beard and his flannel. If this was what being on the run was going to be like, she supposed she could deal with it… with him… just fine.
11
“No, no, no,” Becca insisted, her words starting to slur slightly. “That’s not how you play.”
“But I have a bunch of hearts,” Griz said, staring down at his handful of cards.
“No, you’re…” Becca said, sighing loudly in frustration. “Don’t you ever play cards in your treehouse?”
“Clubhouse.”
Becca frowned, tried to think backwards. “What did I say?”
“Treehouse.”
“Treehouse,” she said with a giggle. “Hee hee. This wine is some good shit. I am getting toasted. Well? Don’t you? Play cards?”
“Mostly poker.”
“Oh, of course,” Becca said, rolling her eyes. “Me, big man, play poker. Grrr.”
She started to beat her chest like an angry gorilla, grunting, and even Griz started to smile and laugh a little at her half-drunken antics.
Becca almost jumped out of her skin when someone outside on the landing knocked on her door. It was the sudden shock and surprise of the sound that jolted her, almost like she thought it was someone scolding her for her silliness.
“Maintenance,” a male voice said, muffled through the doorway.
Becca giggled a little at her over-reaction. Too much wine, too much drama lately. Someone had come to give her some extra towels or something and here she was practically crapping in her pants.
“I got it, Chewie,” she said, trying and failing to get to her feet.
She’d been kneeling on the floor, longer than she thought she had, and her legs were a little numb, so rather than leap to her feet like she intended, she mostly just tilted and fell over. Still giggling at herself, she strained to her feet with a grunt to get the door.
“Hold on,” Griz said, taking her by the arm to stop her.
“What?” she said. She was pretty buzzed at this point, and had to blink once or twice to keep her balance when Griz stopped her.
