“I am going to check on him! He’d want me to, and she has no right to tell me to watch myself,” Tia said.
“He barely even knows your name,” Keegan said, her voice hard. “Leave the male alone.”
“You wait and see. He’s always looking at me,” Tia said. “And as soon as I look at him, he looks away.”
Keegan sighed dramatically. She seemed tired and almost out of patience. Then without warning, she got right up in her sister’s face, her nose pressed against her sister’s, a growl beneath her words. “If you go in there and bother him, I’m going to kick your ass myself.”
“He likes me! I catch him looking at me all the time,” Tia insisted, leaning away from her sister.
“I think maybe you’re a little confused,” Amanda said softly.
“With what?” Tia snapped.
“With where his focus is,” Amanda said.
“You don’t know anything,” Tia said angrily.
“I know more than you, obviously, fool,” Amanda said.
Remi sat listening to the girls, just like Cristie did.
He reached out and touched her arm gently.
She turned to him quickly. So quickly that she forgot to hide her confounded expression.
“Kaiser okay?”
“Ah, yeah. He will be,” she said, taking a bite of her food, though, she really had no appetite anymore.
“Good. I like him,” Remi said.
“He’s a good male,” Cristie agreed.
“You hear any of that over there?” he asked, lifting his chin slightly in the direction of the teenage girls who sat thinking nobody heard them as they continued bickering.
“Yes, I did,” she said, shaking her head dismissively.
“Seems he’s got a fan club,” Remi said with a chuckle.
“I’m not the least bit surprised. He can’t even get away from it at home.”
“Must be hard to live under that kind of attention.”
“Especially when you asked for it. It’s all fun and games in the beginning, until you realize they don’t give a damn about you, all they want is the notoriety of being associated with your image. And even the kids are trying to attract your attention.”
“I can understand that. Is that what he’s struggling with?” Remi asked.
“I’m not sure. I thought so, but now I think it’s deeper than that,” Cristie said.
“I hope he can work it to his benefit.”
“Me, too.”
“At least one of the girls is right,” Remi said.
“Hm?” Cristie said, chewing another mouthful.
“Keegan. She said I belong to you,” Remi said.
