But no. He stopped because he reached the end of the list. He stopped talking and was waiting for some response as his finger stopped just after the last line, seemingly without meaning to. The line item with all the orgasms.
Our eyes drifted together and then instantly apart. Of course, he was thinking of that last bit. The bit I crossed out but left so clearly visible on the off chance I decided to try it out after all.
“I obviously would also be able to find the right people for you, for uh, areas that I might not be the right fit for,” he mumbled. “And I’m already going to be at the charity ball, obviously, I could just take you.” Whatever he saw on my face must have been bad because he quickly added, “Or get you a ticket. Whatever.”
To my shock, the tips of his ears went red, and the already ruddy complexion of his neck darkened with splotches. I wouldn’t take him as one to be shy about that sort of stuff. I figured he was a gal-in-every-port sort of guy. Wait, that wasn’t the expression. A hoe in every area code? Gross. Not that either. The man was superfine and probably was drowning in?—
Okay. Never mind. Why did I need to label it? I didn’t. Moving on.
I was just surprised that he might be shy about sex.
“I don’t want you to think I came here because of ...” His eyes looked everywhere but at me.
Right, because no way he’d volunteer for that. In what universe would our two species comingle?
I’d gone too long without speaking. It was clear he was sincere in his offer to help me.
This was too much. I operated on pure shock and compartmentalizing now.
“I don’t understand why,” I said.
“Why, what?” He leaned back in the chair now, but faced me. His legs were still spread wide, and now his right arm balanced on the back of the chair.
“Why you want to help me? Why you care?” I asked.
“I’m a helper, it’s who I am.”
“And what’s in it for you?”
I didn’t buy it. Nobody was that altruistic. Not even a firefighter who seemed to be woven from the very threads of every woman’s fantasy.
“The thought of helping someone makes me feel better.” His pronounced Adam’s apple moved on a swallow, drawing my gaze to his neck once again.
“I feel like this is a trick. Or there’s something you aren’t telling me.” Here, his gaze flicked to the side. Ah, so I was close with that. “Are you going to reveal this is all for your video channel or that your best friend bet you that you could trick me into sleeping with you before prom?—”
“Wait, what? You have trust issues.” His loose chuckle sent a thrill through me. I almost never got to make anybody laugh. That was a shot of straight adrenaline.
“Yes. I’m a human existing in the time of the internet. You should develop more trust issues, quite frankly,” I said.
“I just want to help. It’s really not that serious,” he said, shrugging with a less-sincere-sounding laugh.
I hated it when people said that. I’m so glad that it wasn’t that serious for him. I felt myself growing defensive.
“You have to understand, I don’t spend time around people like you.” Anger pushed my words out in a rush. “It’s not the natural order. We move in different circles, have extremely different social lives. You are beloved by all, and I would bet money that most of our graduating class forgot that I exist.”
“Our graduating class?” Confusion was written all over his affable features.
“Did you even know that we were in the same grade?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Of course. You moved here in the fourth grade. We had every math class together throughout all of high school, and one time Levi and I gave you a jump when your battery died a few years after graduation.”
My jaw hung open. Shame flushed through me again. I would have never thought in a million years that he remembered we were the same age, let alone all the classes we had together. I was shaken. I hadn’t been right in a lot of my assumptions since he walked in here.
“Because we weren’t friends in high school, means you’re just not going to accept my offer of help?” he asked with a frown.
“But why are you helping? I just—” I threw out my arms. “Why are you here? What is it that you want?” The strain in my voice was embarrassing.
“I want to help you. Why are you so determined to see the worst about me? I’m a fellow citizen who can help. So let me help you.”
